Hide and Seek
by ArtChica
Summary: Fang returns after a year, but Max is broken and won't let him come close. Can she forgive him? Will she ever trust him again? Can Fang recapture her heart or will someone else step in? What are Nudge and Angel up to? Sequel to Cat & Mouse.
1. Chapter 1

**Here it is at last. I hope you enjoy it!**

Hide and Seek

**Chapter 1 MOV This is How a Heart Breaks**

The night was dark, rain threatening as thunder rumbled in the distance. '_Tonight. Tonight I'll leave,_' I told myself as I had for nearly a year now. I flew around the city, saying goodbye to my home, my refuge, my flock. I flew to the edge of the city, out past White Plains, just past the park where we would go camping…

But just like every other night before this one, I turned back. I landed on the highest point I could at the top of the tallest skyscraper in New York City, the Empire State Building. My haven now was no longer the city that protected me from the whitecoats and erasers, but this roof-top observation deck that hid me from sight as I cried out.

About a week after Fang left, last September, I stopped crying for him. He was the enemy. He wasn't worth my tears. I would not give him that victory. Another week after that, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and finished making a plan. I realized that I had to leave the city. I had to leave the flock. If Itex was looking for me, then I was a danger to them. If Fang was working for Itex, then I would have to lead him away from the city, away from the flock.

After that came my first night out here, as unable to leave this city as a dog with an electric collar. I gradually was able to go farther and farther, but I always turned back. Then I would land here on the Empire State Building, and cry, or shout in anger, or just stare across the skyline numbly. I stayed there until I felt stable, or until the moon began to set, right before the sky began to lighten. Six nights a week I flew, catching up on sleep the seventh day. I'm sure the others noticed when I suddenly stopped crying, but still always had red eyes. Or when I spent more hours sleeping in, but always looked tired. But after six months or so, they stopped asking questions. That was six months ago.

As I sat on the roof, hugging my knees to my chest, I just stared blankly at the stars. I had stopped shouting in anger a long time ago. I had stopped crying for myself, for my ruined life, for the flock's damaged lives, or for the thought of leaving them. I had stopped crying months ago. My eyes were dry again.

I felt a light rain begin. I looked up to see dark thunderclouds flickering with lightning. I don't know why, but I felt like there was a change coming. Something was going to happen, but I didn't know if it would be good or bad. '_Well. My life can't get much worse than it already is,'_ I thought bitterly. Maybe the attack from Itex would come. Then I wouldn't have to leave the flock. I wouldn't have to run.

Only when I gasped for air did I realize I was crying. I didn't know why. Fang? My broken heart? The flock? Fear if facing Itex again? Leaving my home? The possibilities were many. I didn't know. Maybe all of it, maybe none of it. But I didn't mind these tears. They weren't the shrieking wails that came with the feeling that my heart was being ripped to pieces. They weren't the kind that made me want to leap off this building (and for once not open my wings) just to end the pain. No, this was a Nudge-after-watching-a-sad-movie cying, or an Angel -middle-school-drama crying. The kind that you know would be over soon, and then everything would be ok again. This was a relief.

I laughed up to the thunder and lightning, happy to feel a bit more normal, and let myself cry. There was no one to see me; I felt no shame or weakness with these tears. I must have looked like a madwoman.

Maybe I had finally cracked. Maybe I'd finally lost it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 FPOV Pictures of You**

I flew a wide circle around Manhattan. My home, where my family was, where my Max was.

'_Not_ _your Max anymore. You left her, remember?'_

'_Shut up. I never wanted to. I'll make it up to her. I have to.'_

I landed on the roof of the hotel, right next to where the flock's pent hose was. Opening a window that would lead to Max's room, I stepped silently inside. But Max wasn't there. Her room looked like it hadn't been lived in for a long time. Her bed was made, no clothes on the floor, everything put away, except a stack of photos scattered on the desk.

'_Why not?'_ I shrugged, '_Might as well survey the damage and know what I'll be working with.'_ I knew Max would be angry with me, and probably heartbroken.

The photos were of us, the flock, taken over a year ago. We were all happy, smiling. But the happy images were marred by rough edges where I had been ripped out of the pictures. '_Ouch._' Someone had gone through a lot of trouble to make sure I was out of the picture, literally. Some photos were spared from being torn, but had red pen marking angry circles around me.

Next to those photos lay Max's Mutant-Encounter journal. I picked it up, hoping there was no entries from the past year.

There was only one:

Name: Nick Venom

Species: Avian-human Hybrid

Encounter: Ex-boyfriend, ex-flock member, last seen with Feline-human Hybrid

Status: Turncoat, or possibly undercover agent; malicious

Notes: Confirms fears that Itex and/or the School is still looking for me. No known connection between Ari, eraser, and Nick, but possibility not discarded. Feline, "Cat", partner in search and suspected romantic relationship_._

This was everything I had ever feared would happen. Even worse was the cold, detached tone Max used. Wedged between the pages was one of the photos of me with the red circle around my head.

With a deep breath, I put down the book and scanned the room for any other evidence of what had happened to Max. I noticed her backpack was gone- the one she always had equipped with everything she'd need for living on the run. Upon further inspection, I found that her boots were gone, too.

Then I saw two photos that hadn't been marked up. One was of Max and I at the camp we always went to. We were standing near a cliff overlooking a lake. My black wings shielded us from the light rain while my arms were wrapped around Max. We were kissing. I remembered the scene, but not a photo being taken of us then. On the back of the card was a date in Nudge's neat handwriting: _August 17, 2009__. _

The second photo was not so wonderful. The scenery was the same, even the light rain that dampened Max's light hair. But Max was alone, her brown-feathered wings spread and facing the camera. Max looked over her shoulder as if someone had called her name. She was as beautiful as ever, but her eyes haunted me. They told of suppressed grief, pain beyond imaging, dark secrets, and a broken spirit. Purple shadows under her eyes told of chronically sleepless nights and the redness gave away the tears she'd no doubt shed. On the back of the photo Nudge had again written the date: August 17, 2010_._

Below that, Max had written the lyrics of a song: "Pictures of you,/ pictures of me/ remind us all of what we could have been."

'_Shoot, that probably means she left!'_ Somehow I knew, or maybe just hoped, she had only just left, and I leapt back out the window into the night air. '_Maybe I can catch her before she leaves the city.'_

I circled high in the air, but could see no sign of her anywhere. '_Shit. Damn it! Max! Where are you!" _

I flew around a skyscraper, and caught my breath at what I saw.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 MPOV Fight or Flight**

I sat there, just letting my body cry and laugh and my mind whirl in a chaotic mess. Nothing made sense; I could not move or make any coherent thought and my heart was still shattered, frozen, and locked up, but my soul was hopeful. Something was coming- some change. '_Stupid thing to be hopeful for. Nothing worth hope has happened to me in a long time.'_ It didn't matter anyway, because my mind and body were rendered useless.

So maybe that's why I relaxed when I felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around me. Or why I sighed in contentment at the familiar scent, or leaned into the embrace at the familiar warmth. My tired brain connected these with '_safety, comfort, trust, friend, love.'_

"Oh, Max, I've missed you _so_ much," a voice whispered in my ear, "I'm so, so sorry-"

I leapt out of the embrace. '_Danger, pain, betrayal, enemy, hate.'_ That voice was also familiar, but it was not welcome. '_Nick! Nick Venom!'_

I whirled around to face the man I had loved, the man who had caused me a year of unimaginable pain and sorrow. No. Those were two different men. I loved Fang. I hated Nick.

"Hello, Nick. Nice of you to drop in for a visit. Long time no see," I said, my voice almost polite, but too much anger and hate slipped through.

Nick looked up. "Max, please, I'm – What did you call me?"

"Nick. Your name," I replied, with a heavy dose of 'duh' in my voice, "what did you expect me to call you? Sweetheart? Love? Nicky Darling? No way; I'll leave those for Cat," I sneered.

Nick recoiled. "I didn't expect any term of… affection… but why Nick? What happened to Fang?"

"I don't know, Nick, you tell me. For us, Fang died a long time ago, about the same time you left with Cat. Or was Fang never real? Was he just a cover identity for you? A way to get close to us so that you could turn us in? Yes, that sounds likely to me. How about you, Nick?"

"Fang is my name! Nick Venom is the cover identit-"

"Then why was I the only one who you told your name was Fang? Even your good pal Anthony Pellegrino knew your name was Nick Venom," I snapped.

Nick winced at the tone of my voice. "I've told you before, I tell just about everyone my name's Nick. I didn't want to leave a trail for any mad scientists to track me. But I trusted you immediately, so I told you my real name. Ask Iggy! He's known me my whole life! Don't tell me you think he's lying, too."

I visibly bristled at that. "I would never mistrust one of my own flock members," I spat, "Don't you dare imply that."

"Then let's go ask him why he knows me as Fang, not Nick."

"I don't know what he knows, but for all we know, you could have been lying to him, too. And you are not going anywhere near my flock. Which reminds me," I narrowed my eyes at Nick, "how did you find me? How did you know I was out here?"

"I didn't know. But when I saw your backpack and boots gone, I figured you'd left, and I went to look for you."

"My backpack? You were in my room!"

"Yah, I was looking for you-"

"You were in the Nest!" I was seeing red. "How dare you! You stay away from my flock! I'm the one you want; leave them out of this."

"Max, I'm sorry- no, just listen!- I didn't go anywhere besides your room. I didn't see anyone else." I calmed down a bit at that. "But they're my family, too. You can't just disown me and shut me out of my own family."

"No, I can't. But _you_ were the one to forsake _us._ You shut yourself out when you left us. And besides, it's my family, that I had let you into for a short time. But you turned that down."

"And what about Iggy?" Nick asked angrily, "He was my brother long before you ever met him."

"He's now just as much a part of the flock as any of us. He's even about to propose to Nudge- which you'll be sure not to interfere with," I added threateningly, "I don't know what he thinks about you; it's his decision what he wants to do. But remember- you betrayed him just as much as you betrayed me."

I'd finished my tirade, so with that, I leapt into the air and flew home. I was going to collapse on my bed, but the thought of Nick having been in my room prompted me to grab my pillow and a blanket and crash on the couch instead. I'll figure out something to tell the others in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 FPOV Not-So-Welcome Back**

After my first encounter with Max had gone just oh-so-well, I flew back to my old apartment. I was relieved to find that not only was Iggy still living there, but my room was still intact. However, it wasn't much of a surprise to find that a good portion of his stuff had been moved elsewhere (probably Nudge's room). At least he hadn't been left alone while I was away.

I walked into the kitchen and opened up the fridge. '_Spoiled milk, moldy cheese, rotten vegetables… ha! Soda!' _Kind of flat, but still good.

I popped open the Coke and grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry. The breakfast of champions. I downed most of it, making a mental note to run to the grocery store to get some food later. '_And a cookbook, too.' _ I doubted Iggy would be cooking for me for a long time yet. '_I think it's about time I saw Anthony again_.' But the thought of the restaurant manager reminded me of Max's accusation. 'M_aybe that can wait a bit longer.'_

I showered off a month's worth of dirt (hey, I'd been on the run, remember?) and changed into some clean clothes. I flopped down onto my bed, sighing contentedly, and fell asleep quickly. '_It's been a year since I've slept on a real bed…'_

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If I was going to restart my life in New York City, I needed a job to pay for the apartment. '_How did Iggy pay for it? What kind of job had he gotten while I was gone?' _

I walked into the Five Points Academy, hoping I could get my old job as a martial Arts trainer back. Of course, it was probably already taken by now. And with any luck, it would have been taken by another Avian I'd met in LA.

_Flashback:_

_I was doing the usual rounds. Cat and I would split up once we found a city and search for any sign of the Avian called Maximum Ride. I was supposed to question and take note of any other mutants in the area, but I'd taken to warning them instead._

_As the Black Shadow, I landed in front of a young Avian man. It was the first time I'd seen another Avian since the flock. '_How many of us are there?'

"_Hey, you, with the wings," I said quietly, knowing he could hear me. _

"_What? Who, me?" he played innocent. Or dumb, as I prefer to call it._

"_Yah, you, don't play dumb. Listen, I'm here to warn you." I looked around to be sure there was no one else within hearing range. _

"_What are you, some School spy? You don't scare me." But his nervous glances belied his words. _

"_Not me. I'm a subversive traveling with a Feline who is an enemy mutant. Itex, not the School. But you should really get out of the city. It's crawling with erasers and hostile hybrids. Go east. New York's safe." I usually just told the mutants to lie low for a while, but LA was a hostile hot-spot. And I felt I could trust this Avian enough to let him relatively near the flock. _

_But he seemed to debate it. "How hard is it to find a job there?"_

_I did another 360 and lowered my voice. "You know martial arts? Yah? Good. Ok, listen up: Manhattan, Five Points Academy. Tell them Nick Venom- you got that?- Nick Venom recommended you."_

"_Hey, thanks man."_

"_Sure, just do me a favor would you? If you ever run into Maximum Ride, tell her Fang still loves her. I'd tell her myself, but I'm with the Itex mutants right now."_

"_Yah, no problem. I'll tell her. Thanks for the help."_

_We separated then, flying in opposite directions._

_[End flashback]_

"Here he is! Nick, this is Dylan Hans. He said that you'd recommended him, so obviously we gave him the job after you left. But now that you're back, you two will be co-workers. I'll let you two work out how you want to divvy up the work; just let me know," the manager rambled on.

"Yah, of course. Thanks a million, Jenney," I nodded at her.

Once she left, Dylan and I turned to face each other, staring down the other. Finally I held out my hand. "Nick Venom." I saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes.

"Dylan Hans. Nice to meet you. I've heard you're a master at martial arts.

"Yah. You must be pretty good, too, if I recommended you." I could practically see the words '_Oh shoot, how do I explain this one?' _run through his head.

"Oh, yah, um, yah, I…"

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. How do you like New York? Much… safer… than LA isn't it?" My words were weighted with hidden meaning.

Dylan's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Yah, lower crime rate, I hear. But I've never been to Sin City, so I wouldn't really know." Tsk. Tsk. Lying's a sin, don't you know? I didn't blame him.

I gave him a knowing smile and shrugged. "Sure. Let me get changed and we'll spar. I want to know your skill level before we divvy up the work."

Dylan nodded and took a sip of his water. I turned and started heading for the adjacent locker room, pulling off my shirt. '_Three, two, one…" _I smirked as I heard Dylan choke on his water.

"What?" I looked over my shoulder, "Don't tell me you've never seen someone else like you before. I know we've met before, Dylan of Los Angeles." I left him sputtering in the middle of the gym room while I went to change. '_This is going to be fun.'_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 MPOV Respite **

I was sitting on top in the Empire State Building, just thinking. There was no reason, really, to leave now. Nick had told me he wouldn't follow me if I left ("Unless, of course, you want my company. But I don't think you trust me enough for that yet.") In a way, it was a relief. I didn't have to leave the flock because it wouldn't matter anyway if I did.

A week had passed since that night I'd first seen Nick up here. Every night since then, Nick circled around Manhattan and then dropped down onto the narrow observation deck. He would sit silently in the shadows, waiting for me to say something. Sometimes I did, wanting more information from him, and sometimes I didn't, wanting him to just go away and leave me alone. The later was more common; I didn't enjoy the screaming matches our "conversations" always turned into any more than he did.

I heard Nick land on the opposite side of the tower observatory. It was a narrow landing, and the fence with the curved metal claws was dangerous, so we had to be careful landing and taking off. Usually we hovered a safe distance above the deck, then dropped straight down rather than coming to a running stop. But that's one reason why I liked it so much- no clumsy eraser or other mutant could get to me here.

Nick's near-silent footsteps stopped about ten feet behind where I was standing. Without turning away from my view of the Chrysler Building, I said tiredly, "Go away, Nick. I don't want to be near you tonight. Just leave me alone for one night. I promise you I'm not going to leave the city or jump off the ledge or anything."

"Who's Nick?" An unfamiliar voice asked. I whirled around in surprise, spreading my wings for flight (he'd already seen them anyway) and tensing up for a fight.

"Who are you?" I asked the figure in the shadows.

"A friend," he replied simply, if not cryptically, stepping into the moonlight to show me his own pair of wings, "And I'm guessing you're not one of the security guards."

I gave a short laugh. "Nope, not a security guard. Just your friendly neighborhood bird-girl. Unless, of course, you're here to do some damage. Then I'm your worst nightmare."

The other Avian walked over and sat on the brick wall, holding his hands up by his head. "No harm intended. Just wondering who was up here at this time of night. Of course, if you want to be left alone, I'll just leave…"

I sighed. '_Might as well get the 411 on the new guy.'_

"No, that's ok. It might be nice to have some company for once." I sat down next to the Avian man, leaving plenty of space for us to spread our wings.

"What about this Nick guy? Sounds like you don't want his company."

I scoffed, turning away. "He's not company. He's a nuisance that occasionally is good for intel."

"Who is he? Another Avian?"

"Yah. He's my… ex-boyfriend. Bastard dates me for six months, buys a ring, then runs off with some Feline. A year later, he comes back and hopes an apology would make everything all better, happy ever after."

"Hmm… Nick….Nick…. Not Nick Venom, is it?"

That surprised me. "Yah, that's him. How do you know him?"

"Coworker at Five points. A few months ago, I was in LA. He found me, hunted me down, I suppose, and tipped me off about Itex spies in the city. Said New York was safe and gave me a job recommendation. I owe him big time."

"You just trusted the word of some mutant and left your home?"

"Yah, I mean, he said he was an infiltrator working with one of Itex's Felines. I trusted his knowledge about the locations of hostile mutants. And he's been right so far about New York City. Unless, of course, you intend to hurt me?" He left the question hanging in the air.

"Nope, not me. Only defense."

"Good. Oh, I'm Dylan, by the way." He extended his hand for me to shake, giving me a warm smile.

"Max." I shook his hand and gave him a weak half-smile. He was ok, not much of a threat, but no reason to get overly friendly.

"Maximum Ride?" Dylan asked, surprised. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"How do you know that?"

Dylan shrugged. "Lucky guess. Nick asked me back in LA to tell you something. He said to tell you that Fang still loves you." He watched my face, looking for some kind of response, or maybe some kind of explanation.

I felt my face turn stony. "I'll bet he did. Well, you can tell Nick that Fang's long gone, and sending a message doesn't change anything."

"Another ex-boyfriend?"

"You could say that."

Dylan shook his head. "How many Avian guys have you dated?"

"It's complicated. But I also dated Ari before I realized he was an eraser," I added, hoping to avoid any more questions about Avian boyfriends.

"That's rough. You haven't had much luck with the relationship thing, have you?"

"Nope. And I don't plan on getting into any new ones. Or back into any old ones, either." Dylan just nodded.

We spent the rest of the dark hours just talking, swapping histories, survival stories, and celebrity gossip (our celebrities being the big-shots and mad scientists in the mutant business). I felt myself coming back to my old, witty self. We even made each other laugh more than once. It felt nice to talk to someone who didn't know about the mess I'd been the past year. '_But I still don't fully trust him,'_ I thought, unconvincingly, '_More than Nick, though.'_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 MPOV Boys, Boys, Boys**

Punch left. Uppercut right. Roundhouse kick. Block. Swing into jaw. Kick.

"Stay. Still," I grunted, panting slightly. Dylan wasn't the most experienced fighter, but he was swift and knew enough to be able to hold his own.

"No… way…" he panted on response. I had my afternoon at Definitions Gym free of appointments, so I'd called Dylan to spar with me. I seriously needed to blow off steam and the punching bag just wasn't enough anymore. I mean, what good was it to punch something that just stood there and took it? I wanted to _fight._ '_Especially with Nick. But with fists instead of words.' _Wouldn't I just be an amazing kindergarten teacher? 

After one final, all-out attack, I had Dylan pinned beneath me. My hair was falling out of its braid and sticking to my sweaty face and neck. My breath, however, was already starting to even out.

"Sheesh, where'd you learn to fight like that? I bet you could take even Nick out." Dylan was in much worse shape than I was, and rubbed his shoulder, wincing, when I let him up.

"Here and there. Mostly practicing against erasers when I was a kid. And I did take down Nick once. He pissed me off," I shrugged like it was no big deal.

"Well, remind me never to get into a real fight with you." Dylan took some serious hits; I was relieved he was still standing. "What happened anyway? You said you needed to blow off some steam?"

I glanced away. "Just Nick again." I didn't elaborate. Dylan may be a good listener, but there was no way I was spilling every detail about my life to him. Especially not about last night, when Nick had…

'_Don't think about that,'_ I sharply reprimanded myself, '_just vent, forget about it, and move on. He was just trying to get to you. You're letting him win.'_

Walking out of the gym later that afternoon, Sam caught up with me.

"Hey, Max, wait up! I wanted to talk to you."

"Ok. You can walk with me to the subway." I knew he would ask about my spar with Dylan. He knew me well enough to know when something was wrong. Well, more wrong than usual. He was another good listener, but he being an ordinary human meant that he usually got the abridged story.

"What's up? I know something hasn't been quite right for, well, the past year, but you've been especially upset this past month."

"And now that the punching bag no longer seems to be enough for me, you figured you'd better step in and be a good friend?" I knew him well, too.

"Well, I have to think of the safety of our clients, after all. I can't have you punching someone's lights out," he joked, lightening the mood marginally. Then he shrugged, humor gone, "But I also figured you wouldn't want to talk about it."

"You know me way too well, Sam," I teased.

"Yep, I know. So I figured I'd just ask you out for a drink instead. Sharing of feelings optional." Correctly interpreting my hesitation, he added, "Just as friends. I know you aren't looking for another relationship for the foreseeable future." He didn't seem at all disappointed about it. Maybe he was getting over his crush on me.

"Sure, that sounds nice."

"Ok. I'll pick you up. How about eight thirty?"

I checked my watch. "Sure sounds good. You know where I live? Here," I gave him my address, "I'm up at the penthouse on top."

"Ok, see you then."

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I walked into the Nest at a quarter to eight. I had 45 minutes to shower and get dressed. No problem.

"Hey guys! I'm back!"

"Hey Max! How was work?" Nudge greeted me.

"Great. I only had to deal with one stupid spoiled rich boy hitting on me this morning, and then Dylan came and sparred with me. Now I'm going to shower and change. Sam's picking me up at eight thirty."

"Whoa! Hold it! I know your male clients usually hit on their personal trainer, but what's this drama about Dylan and Sam?" As usual, Nudge looked for a soap opera in a documentary. She created drama where it didn't exist. I rolled my eyes.

"I needed to work off some tension, so I called Dylan. He said he could leave work for a while and came to spar with me. Sam thought something was wrong, so he invited me to grab a drink. Just as friends; we both agreed."

Nudge looked like she was about to analyze the "underlying motivations" in their actions, but I said the one thing guaranteed to distract her.

"I only have forty minutes left to get ready before Sam gets here."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 Dylan's POV So What?**

Nick and I pulled up to the bar, parking our motorcycles next to each other. I wasn't much fond of drinking, and neither was Nick (it's a mutant thing), but I could tell he needed a night out. He rarely went anywhere besides Five Points, his apartment, and a nightly flight around the city. I knew he often sat with Max on top if the Empire State Building. By the way both of them acted today, I would bet anything they had really brought out the big guns this time. So tonight, Nick and I were hitting the bar.

The second I walked inside, I knew it was the wrong choice. Max and some guy from her work- Sam?- were sitting together at a table near the back. It was too late to turn around without Nick getting suspicious, so I directed him towards the counter. I chose two stools with a good view on the TV and no view of Max.

We ordered out drinks- water with lemon for me, a beer for Nick- and settled in to watch the game that was playing on TV. All was well, until someone laughed loudly. Nick tensed and we both turned our attention to the culprit.

"Max!" Oh shoot, Nick saw Max and got up to make his way through the crowd toward her table.

"Hey, Nick, hold up a sec!" I tried to stop him, but failed. I could only follow him and try to keep him from doing anything he'd regret later.

"Max? What are you doing here?" Nick sounded surprised, protective, and drunk. "And who's he?"

"Nick? Ugh, way to ruin a perfectly good night. Just go away why don't you?" Max, predictably, did not seem happy about seeing Nick here. She also sounded like she'd had one too many drinks. '_This won't end nicely,'_ I thought wearily.

"Who's this?" Nick repeated, jabbing his finger toward Max's companion.

Max sighed, disappointed that he hadn't magically disappeared with a _poof _in the past four seconds. "This is Sam, my coworker and friend. Sam, this is Nick, the jackass I've told you about." They eyed each other distrustfully. "Oh, hi Dylan!" Max visibly brightened at seeing me, much to Nick's obvious confusion and irritation.

"You two know each other?"

"Yah, we're good friends. We've hung out sometimes. You know, when you're not there breathing down my neck." Though she didn't say it in front of Sam, the three of us knew she meant those nights on top of the Empire State Building.

"And you trust him? Just like that?"

"Hey!" I protested, though I knew what he meant. Max didn't trust. Period, end of story.

Max shrugged. "You did." She was clearly referring to his pointer in LA. "And besides, Angel likes him. The whole fam does." Max seemed indifferent to the way Nick recoiled, as if slapped in the face. Or stabbed in the back.

"You took him to meet everyone! But you won't so much as tell them that I'm in the city?"

I could tell that this was going to get ugly. "Hey, Nick, let it go. Let's just get out of here. We can go somewhere else."

"No, I want to hear this one. All her bull about trying to protect her family and she brings a complete stranger home before she even lets them know their own brother is back."

I saw Max bristle at the accusation, and probably his choice of the word _brother_. '_This is going to take a while.'_ I decided to sit down next to Sam.

"Any guess as to who's gonna win this one?" I asked a Max's other friend.

"I've got twenty on Max," he replied, placing a bill on the table.

I matched it. "Twenty on Nick."

"Really? Why? From what I know of him, Max has this guy totally whipped."

"He may be looking for forgiveness, but he's got his pride. Besides, he knows Max would more likely go for a strong argument than a groveling apology."

"No way, Max's pissed at him. She's been building up steam for a year."

"Nick has more to gain my winning this, and more to lose if he doesn't."

"Maybe, but look at him. He's obviously drunk, and he's drinking more." I looked and saw that this was true.

"But so is Max," I pointed out, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Yep. Want something to eat? I don't think they'll be calling it quits any time soon."

Sam was right, of course. Those two didn't let up until two in the morning. I'm surprised the manager didn't toss them out. Then again, the whole bar seemed to be caught up in the battle of wits over here. Sam and I weren't the only ones who had placed bets on the two.

Max recoiled from Nick's last comment, which I had unfortunately missed, her eyes burning with anger, pain, and abhorrence. No amount of alcohol could have dimmed that fire.

"Well then, why don't you just go back to your _friends_? I'm sure Cat would welcome her toy with open arms. Since, you know, she _trusts _you, she "cares about" you, enough to let you onto her team. And probably into her bed, too." Max was wasted; I'm sure she didn't know what she was saying. Otherwise, she wouldn't have shown that she cared enough to be angry about it.

"Max-" Nick was cut off by Max shoving roughly past him, out the door, and out of sight.

"So who won?" Sam slurred, "She got the last word in, but she also left first." I ignored Sam, who was too drunk to go find his date and bring her home, and stood up to go after Max. She would most likely be heading to the Empire State Building, but shouldn't be flying while intoxicated.

I was stopped by Nick's hand on my shoulder. "Please, let me go after her. I need to fix this mess I've caused."

I didn't know what mess he was referring to, tonight's or the whole thing, but I could see the look in his eyes. Max's last comment had extinguished the anger and sobered him up. Despite the alcohol still in his blood, Nick looked under control and capable of safely flying.

Reluctantly, I nodded. "You get one chance. Don't screw it up." Taking the $40 on the table to foot the bill, I watched Nick silently weave through the staring crowd and slip out the door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8FPOV Oblivion **

I could feel the alcohol fighting my senses. Avians had a low tolerance for the stuff. But even more, I felt the need to apologize to Max… and make sure she didn't kill herself by missing the narrow observation deck when she landed.

With an impressively graceful (giving the current state of my mind) landing, I stood behind Max. She had her forehead pressed against the cool glass window that looked inside the darkened room laced with the tell-tale pinpricks lights of security systems. No guards patrolled the room beyond.

"Haven't had enough yet, Nick? Because there's plenty more where that came from." But Max sounded worn out, tired of not just tonight's fight, but all of them.

"No, I've taken plenty of hits already, thank you. I don't like arguing with you, Max, so I came to apologize. This is no way to win your trust again."

Max snorted, "Sure as hell it won't win my trust again. Nothing can, Nick. You of all people should know that I don't give second chances when it comes to my trust."

"I'm not asking for a second chance, I'm asking for you to believe me when I say I've always been loyal to you-"

Max just shook her head. "With me, it's better to have never gained my trust at all than to have gained it and lost it." She sighed. "You ask why I let Dylan near the flock before you? Because though I'll never fully trust him, I don't believe he'll ever hurt us on purpose. You, however, have already betrayed my trust."

"Max, I swear to you, I've only ever thought about your safety-"

She pulled away from the glass and faced me. "But you hurt us. You hurt me irreparably. Even after you swore to us you would never hurt me, you put me through torture and hell after you left with that other woman, with the spy from Itex." Even I knew that to her there was a distinct difference between the two. One broke her because of the love she had felt; the other broke her because of the trust she had placed in me.

"I am this way now because I _trusted you_. I can't trust or love again because the last time I did, it left me with unimaginable pain and fear. _Trust_ broke me," Max looked resigned. "I'm going home." She clumsily walked to the center of the deck.

"Max, I can't let you fly home."

"Why the hell not? And why would I care if you _let me _do anything?" Max snapped.

"You're too drunk to walk straight, let alone fly safely. At the very least, you'll catch the attention of some late-nighter and give away not only yourself, but the Nest, too." I could see that Max was carefully considering my solid logic. "Let me fly you home, or at least down to the street and then walk you home." She'd no doubt pass out after too long, and then I'd be able to fly her the rest of the way.

But that only angered Max further. "Are you deaf or just unusually stupid? If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times. Don't. Go. Near. My. Flock."

"Well you can't stay up here all night. You can't fly in your condition, and you'll get mugged if you try to walk home alone. If you won't let me take you to the Nest, then I'll have to take you to my place." Max looked unhappy about this conclusion, but couldn't find a loophole in my logic, the one weapon I had against her.

Without waiting for a reply, I scooped her up in my arms and took off, heading toward Brooklyn. Max shouted at me the whole way. I felt bad for dragging her, literally kicking and screaming, but she wouldn't let me neat the Nest, and I wasn't going to let her go alone.

Finally, we made it to my balcony. Walking inside, I dropped her onto the bed, thankful that my room was clean.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing! I'm not staying here, Nick!"

"Yes, you are. You're not taking the couch, you're a guest. And I really don't think you want to stay in Iggy's bed; think of all the times he and Nudge spent the night here instead of the Nest." We both simultaneously shuddered.

Before she could protest, I left the room, locking the door behind me. She could have easily left via the balcony (or simply unlocking the door), but I was counting on her being too drunk to think of that.

I grabbed a glass of water from the kitchen. Bringing it back to Max, I made sure she drank it all. She'd be dehydrated if she didn't. Tossing her a loose t-shirt and a pair of shorts to sleep in, I went into the bathroom to change. I also laid out o bottle of Tylenol. '_We'll both have killer hangovers in the morning.' _

When I was back in my room to check on Max before crashing on the couch, I found her staring out the window. Looking closer, I could see tears silently streaking down her face.

"Max? What's wrong?"

She turned to me, looking as if she had been startled out of deep thought. She turned back to the window. After a long moment, she finally whispered, "This place brings back so many memories. Most of them happy, loving ones."

"Most of them?" I couldn't help asking.

"The night when I found out you- _Fang_- was an Avian? That short time when I felt betrayed wasn't a happy one. The second one: when I'd flown over here right after Nudge told me you left with Cat. The difference is that the first time, Fang was there to reassure me that everything was ok. It was followed by happier times- the best in my life. The second wasn't, Nick. It was followed by the worst."

I stepped closer. I wanted to hug her, to reassure her again that everything would be ok, but she would pull back from me. "I have to know- what's the difference between Nick and Fang? I'm still me."

"No," she snapped, "you are not Fang. Fang was loving, patient, kind, loyal. Fang made me laugh. He would kiss me until the sun came up. He supported me and did what I needed when I needed. You? You are impatient, pestering, back-stabbing, and irritating. We fight, we scream, I cry. I cry _all the damn time_. No comfort of happiness comes from you. But most of all, Fang _swore _he would _never_ hurt me. He would not have left with Cat- he would have trusted me enough to let me know what was going on. He wouldn't have caused me a year, _a whole year_, of pain so bad, it felt worse than anything the School could ever have done. He would not have been the reason I broke, or cried every night, or needed to split from the flock. Do you understand that Nick? Fang was disappearing about a week before you left with Cat. When you did leave, Fang was gone forever."

"Yes, I think I do understand now. Is there anything I can do? How can I fix this?" I had to know. "Even if you never love me again, please, just trust me."

Max laughed. "My love is more easily won than my trust, Nick, after you lose it. Love is irrational, blind. Trust- that's logic, reasoning, and faith. By all that, it'll take a hell of a lot to regain my trust, Nick." Max sighed and leaned her forehead against the window, closing her eyes, "I want Fang back. I need him back. I feel broken without him. Even for one night, I need him back."

That's when I did hug Max, wrapping my arms gently around her. "I'm here now, Max, and I will be here until you leave. Then I'll follow you to the end of the earth. I promise you, Max-"

"Stop. Please, just stop talking. I don't want your promises- I don't trust you enough to believe you'll keep them, Nick. And it's your voice that reminds me of all the other promises you've spoken and broken."

Max turned and buried her face in my shirt, clutching the cotton. Confused, but somewhat pleased, I stroked her hair, letting my fingers tangle in the light brown and blond strands.

"This is what I need. To pretend, just for one night, that you never left. Please, Fang, just for one night?" Max pleaded. How could I deny her? I'd give her the world if she asked for it. And I, too, would like to pretend for once that I'd never left, never broken Max, never been Nick Venom.

Instead of speaking, I just kissed the top of her head. Then her forehead, the tip of her nose… lingering above her lips, asking…

Max hesitated, then softly, tentatively, brought her lips up to mine. I kissed her softly, slowly, the way I used to kiss her when we first started dating. Then we deepened the kiss, Max's soft lips moving in time with mine. I ran my tongue across her bottom lip, asking for entrance, but Max hesitated again. Just as I was about to break the kiss, she parted her lips, silently giving me permission.

When we finally broke apart, panting, I felt Max rest her head against my chest. I led her over to the bed, and gently pushed her down so that she was sitting.

"Sleep now. I'll still be here in the morning," I promised. I leaned down to kiss her goodnight, but Max didn't let go.

"Stay with me? Please, Fang?"

Gently sliding past her, I lay down next to the woman who usually despised me. She curled against me, seeking warmth and comfort. It felt like all those nights spent together a year ago. '_More than a year ago, now._' I knew it wouldn't last long, but I hoped it would last at least until the morning.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 MPOV Concede **

The first thing I noticed in the morning, '_No, afternoon. Fang's windows face West', _wasFang's warm, musky scent. But he wasn't there. Then I noticed my stomach rolling like I was free-falling at 200 mph, then doing loops and spirals; my head felt like it was being wailed on by a pack of erasers; my mouth was very dry. Over all, I felt like crap. I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head, trying to block out the light that was streaming through Fang's glass doors.

I heard someone walk in and approach the bed. Fang, probably. He touched my shoulder. "I have food for you, Max." He knew I was awake.

I rolled over and sat up only after Fang pulled the black curtains over the balcony doors. I eyed the tray of food warily, not believing I could stomach anything right now.

Seeing my look, Fang smirked. "First, Tylenol for the headache, washed down with the water. You're thirsty, right? Thought so. Ginger Ale will settle your stomach; then you can eat. You'll be hungry- I don't remember you eating anything last night."

He was right, of course. This tray of food, drink, and pills was the perfect remedy. "How'd you know this's what I'd need?" I asked curiously.

Fang smiled grimly, "Alcohol and Avian DNA don't really mix well. It doesn't take a lot to get us drunk, and leave us with a killer hangover, but our metabolism and rapid circulation are fast enough that we don't get that forgetfulness that sometimes is the desired effect." He sounded like he was speaking from experience, as if he himself had downed drink after drink in search of that temporary peace of mind. I probably would have, too, if I had thought about it before. Now that I've felt the hangover, however, I was ready to swear off the stuff for life.

"Well, thanks, Fang. You know, for everything." Fang nodded, but looked like he was debating something. "What?"

Eyeing me strangely, Fang measured his words carefully. "You called me Fang."

"Yah, so? Fa-…. Oh…Nick." I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. "Well, thanks for ruing the moment, Nick." I frowned at the name; it didn't feel right. To him, it probably looked like I was frowning at the passed moment.

I got up and out of the bed. Wincing when I realized I was wearing his clothes, I picked up mine off the floor and went to change. Nick didn't try to stop me, or say anything to me, as I calmly slipped out the door and began the long walk home.

And a long walk it was. It was too light outside to risk flying, and I had no money for a subway fare card. I was glad. The long walk meant a lot of time to think.

And I had a lot to think about.

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Sitting in my steel and brick sanctuary hundreds of feet above the ground, staring out across New York, and thinking about what I had to do. '_Nothing new here,' _I thought.

Fang landed silently behind me. '_Same as usual,'_ I sighed.

"Come to argue with me again? Or are you in a quiet mood tonight?"

"Neither," Fang's voice was deep and smooth- the voice I'd longed to hear so many times… so long ago. "I came to apologize, you were right. I won't fight you anymore; I don't want to keep hurting you. I'll stop demanding your trust; I know you can't give it. I'll stop causing you problems; I'll stop trying to convince you to tell the flock. I will, of you want me to, disappear from your life." I could tell that last part hurt him to say.

Surprising us both, I went and hugged him. After a moment, he hugged me back. "You don't have to leave. I'm glad you apologized. You're right; I can't just give away my trust like free candy in the Macy's Day Parade. My trust has to be earned. And you've more than proven your worth."

Fang pulled back in surprise. "Why? What's changed your mind? Are you sure you're ok? You didn't hit your head or something?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm ok. It was yesterday." I sat down next to him, staring out at the cityscape again.

"You had me in your apartment, alone and defenseless, and no one know I was there with you. It scares me how easily you could have hurt me if you wanted to."

"Max, you know I-"

"I know. You've proven that you don't intend to do me harm. You could have captured me and turned me in. You could have hurt- killed- me while I slept. The food? It could have been poisoned or drugged. And God! The _pills!_ You could have given me anything and I would have taken it if you told me it would get rid of the hangover!" I shook my head, disgusted at myself for how careless I'd been. I'd broken just about every survival rule I'd ever lived by.

"But you didn't. Instead of hurting me, you helped me. I trusted you, and you didn't let me down. Thank you for that, Fang. I owe you big time."

I leaned up against Fang, letting him think. Automatically, out of old habit, he wrapped an arm around me.

"So does this mean you trust me now? Despite everything you said last night?"

"Yes, Fang," I added slight emphasis on the last word, hoping he'd catch it this time. He did.

Fang looked at me, calculating, questioning. I nodded. "Did you really think I would ever trust Nick? Or been that close to him?"

Fang shook his head, "But I didn't think you would ever do that for me again, either."

We sat there for a long time, looking at the stars, the city, anything but each other.

"I love you, Max. I always have." Fang's statement was just that- a statement. No promises, no possibly deceptive emotions, nada. Just fact. I could trust fact.

"I know." And I did.

"But you don't love me back." Again, a statement of fact.

"No, I don't think so. But I did. And that's why I was hurt, which was why I lost my trust in you."

"But now you trust me again," Fang hesitated, "Do you think there is a chance that you could love me again?"

I frowned. That was a difficult question. "I really don't know. I did tell you that once lost, my love was more easily regained than my trust. I don't trust you as much as I did when I loved you. I trust you not to hurt my flock, but I don't trust you with my heart."

"With the flock? Does that mean you'll let me near them?"

"Eventually. Probably sooner rather than later."

"And what about that other kind of trust? Do I get a chance to regain it?"

I grimaced. "Just let it be, Fang. Just let it happen in its own if it does happen."

"Ok, I will, for you." Fang kissed the top of my head. "Anything for you."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 MPOV Revelation **

"Hey, Gazzy, race you to the top of that boulder!"

"You're on!" Gazzy and Angel took off like rockets across the path, leaping up rocks and climbing to the top of the mountain. Even with their camping gear strapped to their backs, they seemed to do this with ease. '_Good thing they haven't gotten too soft,'_ I thought fondly.

The flock, plus Dylan, was going on a camping trip. It had been a while since the little ones ('_Not so little anymore, Max'_) got to stretch their wings. Besides, they deserved a break from school. God knows I didn't envy them for having to go to school. Even working was better than that.

Dylan, Nudge, Iggy, and I were talking together (Nudge did most of the talking).

"I'm glad you could come with us, Dylan. I was surprised to find out that there was another one of us. How many of us do you think there are, Max? There could be dozens- maybe even as many as the erasers! All in hiding. But I'm glad Max decided she liked you, Dylan, otherwise we would never have met, and I think you're fun. It's good for all of us to have another friend. Hey Max, what do you think- Rock on your right Iggy! Oh, sorry, I mean your left-" I stifled a laugh as Iggy tripped over a rock and cursed. I drowned out Nudge's jabbering and began guiding Iggy. Nudge meant well, but she talked too much to give detailed layouts of the uneven mountain trail.

Once we reached our usual camp site, we all began pitching our tents. Nudge and Iggy had theirs under control, as did Angel and Gazzy. Dylan helped me with my tent, and then I helped with his.

"So Nick's going to show up tonight?" Dylan asked in a low voice. It took me a second to figure out why Nick was coming. '_Oh, right, Fang.'_

"Yah he's coming later. Only Iggy knows about it. I still haven't told the others that he's back in the city."

"Why not?"

I shrugged. "Didn't know how to. I mean, I can't exactly be like 'Oh, guys, remember that guy I used to date? The guy who ran off with the Feline to work for Itex? Yah, well, he's back in town so I invited him for Sunday dinner. Isn't that great?'"

Dylan laughed, "No, I guess that would be weird.

We all laughed and joked, ran and swam, ate and ate all afternoon. We were sitting by the campfire, drying out wings, when Angel spoke to me through her mind-connection psycho powers.

'_Hey, Max. It's good to see you're feeling yourself again.' _I didn't take my eyes off Gazzy, who was telling a ghost story. I just let Angel feel my confusion.

'_You looked like a zombie for a long time. Since you stopped crying over Fang- sorry, Nick. But you've slowly gotten better. I think it happened around the time Dylan got here. Nudge thinks he's the reason you aren't depressed anymore. She thinks you two would make a great couple.' _I glanced at Angel just long enough to roll my eyes, but I caught Nudge watching Dylan and I. She winked before turning to Iggy. She didn't see my glare, but Angel noticed my slight irritation.

'_Soooo…. Do you like him? I think he's really nice. I know he may not live up to Fang, but no guy-' _

_ 'Stop, Angel. Don't even go there.'_ Stupid little mind-reader was worse than Nudge. At least the brunet chattered on about insignificant things that we could ignore.

My angry thoughts were redirected toward the shadows beyond our campfire's warm light. Fang had arrived. Walking over to him, I smiled tightly. He nodded in greeting. I gestured for him to follow me to the circle, and then we walked back to the flock, who were all staring at us. They each had a different mixture of surprise, wariness, confusion, and greeting.

Iggy carefully got up any walked toward us. Throwing an arm around Fang's shoulder, he grinned. "Nice of you to finally join us, bro. I was beginning to wonder if you'd chickened out."

"Who, me? Never. " Fang said lightly. I could feel his tension under his easy-going manner.

By then, we'd reached my seat. Fang and I sat down next to Dylan, who greeted Fang with a grin. "Hey, man. Nice to see you."

I turned to Angel, Gazzy, and Nudge. Shock, wariness, confusion, and anger showed on their faces. '_Oh, yah. Iggy and I may have forgiven him, but they haven't heard his story yet.'_

"Anyone care to explain what _he's _doing here? Last I heard, he was spying for Itex," Gazzy was the first to speak up.

"Um… yah…. There was some…. misunderstanding and bad communication. Fang, you want to explain it?"

Nudge caught that last part. Fang; not Nick, Fang. She looked even more surprised and confused.

"Not really, but I guess I don't have much of a choice." Fang took a deep breath and began explaining his story. Dylan backed him up on the part where they'd run into each other in LA. Iggy vouched for him having been here for a little over two months already (no attacks, no erasers, no problem), and I declared my trust and explained a lot of other stuff. I too had kept secrets from the flock.

By the time everything was explained, asked, answered, accused, defended, argued, and resolved, the moon was high in the sky. The fire had burned low, so I went to add more wood and rekindle the flames.

Gazzy had come to stand in front of Fang during the arguments. He still looked pissed at Fang.

"Hey, Fang," Gazzy called. Fang looked up, only to receive a strong, head-turning punch to the left side of his face. Shouts of surprise and reprimand came from around the campfire.

"What the hell, Gazzy? What'd you do that for?" Gazzy ignored me and stared at Fang. "You're getting off easy. I said I'd kick your ass if you ever hurt Max. You destroyed her, and you're still getting off with just a black eye."

To my complete surprise, Fang just nodded. "I know."

There was a silence that seemed to stretch for hours, everyone waiting for someone to say something.

"Oh no! My marshmallows!" Angel jumped up and started blowing on the flaming sweet.

When the fire was extinguished, Angel pouted at the sight of the blackened marshmallow. I laughed.

"They taste best that way. The inside is all gooey." Gazzy said. Angel took a bite, and smiled when she realized he was right.

"I can make the best marshmallows," Dylan declared, spearing one on the end of a stick, "you have you get down near the coals, not the flames." Sure enough, two minutes later he showed us a perfectly golden-brown marshmallow.

"What about you, Fang? You used to make the best s'mores," I handed Fang a marshmallow stick. He had just been sitting there, watching everyone else. He took the stick without comment, but I could have sworn I saw gratitude in his eyes. Friggin' git better be grateful; after all, I don't open up these camping trips to just anyone. We were an exclusive club.

By the end of the night, everyone had accepted Fang back as a friend, almost like old times. Almost. He still wasn't officially initiated a flock member, and there was still no way I'd date him again. He'd have to work harder to even have a chance at being considered family again. As for my boyfriend? Nuh uh, no way, not a chance. One heartbreak per person per lifetime.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 FPOV Stars**

__Icouldn'tsleep. Dylan was a quiet sleeper, and I couldn't hear Gazzy's snores, but something kept me awake. Maybe because it was too quiet, or maybe it was because I was used to sleeping with Max in my arms when we went on these trips.

I sighed and sat up. As silently as I could, I unzipped the tent door and crept outside. Crossing the campground to Max's tent, I paused. '_What the hell are you doing, Fang? She's not going to be very happy with you for waking her up in the middle of the night. Especially because you have no reason to.'_

But I had to see Max. Shoving the thought away, I crept up to Max's tent. A long childhood of being chased by erasers meant that Max was awake and alert before I could finish unzipping the tent's opening.

"Fang? What are you doing? What's up?"

"Couldn't sleep. Can we go for a walk?"

I could see her weighing the pros and cons of walking with me out into the woods in the middle of the night. I had to admit, if it were me being asked to do that, I would have said no way in hell.

Finally she got up and yanked on sneakers and a hoodie. I could tell she was thinking something along the lines of '_This better be worth it.'_ I sure hoped she wouldn't be too grouchy in the morning.

We walked in the dark for a while, just following the creek. Eventually I crossed to a large, flat rock in the middle of the water and sat down. Max followed expectantly. '_Why did I wake her up? She's going to think I'm crazy if I don't say something soon.' _

Without knowing why or where this conversation would turn, I began pointing out the stars and constellations.

"When Iggy and I were on the run, before we settled into New York City, we used to entertain ourselves at night by making up our own constellations, and the stories that went with them, like the ancient Greeks. I would trace the stars I saw on his palm, like this." I held Max's hand palm-side up, and touched my fingers to the points where the stars where in the sky.

"See that one?" I pointed it out in the sky, then traced it on her palm, "We called that one the Warrior. And the one beside it? That's the Princess he's fighting for."

I went on, speaking in a hushed voice, just sharing with her crazy stories Iggy and I had made up as kids. Max listened without saying anything, absorbing the tales I told.

By the time I ran out of constellations visible between the trees, we were both yawning. I helped her back across the small river and we walked back to camp in silence.

"Thanks. For, you know, just listening. And not saying I'm crazy for dragging you out in the middle of the night just to tell some silly stories."

"No, thank you. I… I enjoyed listening to the things you and Iggy did before we met. Thanks for trusting me with that personal bit of your past."

I shrugged self-consciously. "I'm surprised Iggy hasn't told them to you yet."

"I guess it just never came up. And you were kind of a taboo for a year."

"Or, right. Well…. 'night Max. Thanks again."

I walked back to the tent I was sharing with Dylan.

"'Night, Fang," I heard Max go to her own tent.

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Thankfully, Max didn't bring up my strange behavior the next morning. She acted as if nothing had happened, and I was more than happy to follow suit. I had more important things to worry about- like getting Max to fall for me again while keeping my promise to "let it happen on its own". Which means no flirting, no special attention, no nice dates, nothing. This would be harder than the first time. At least then I had her promise that she would try.

Maybe Iggy will know something. He's been with her while I was away; he might know what would sway her. Or maybe Dylan would have some new perspective. I didn't dare ask Gazzy for help again. I think he's angrier at me than Max was. I think I'll avoid detonating that bomb.

I nearly smacked my forehead. '_How could I be so stupid? Ask Nudge! _ _She's Max's sister __and__ a total drama queen. She should help. And Angel! She'll know for sure what Max wants. And that I'm not lying when I say I truly want to fix things with Max.' _

So that's what I did. Asked the girls, not smacked myself.

It was kind of hard to find a time when the three of us were together without the others, especially Max, but if you hang around the Nest long enough, it happens eventually. It only took two weeks for that to happen.

To my surprise, it was the girls who approached me.

"Ok, Fang, what's up? Angel tells me you've had something on your mind since that camping trip. The others will be back before long. Now's your chance: spill."

I explained my dilemma to them and asked for their advice.

Angel gave me a strange look. "So let me get this straight. Max doesn't want your relationship to turn into anything more than it is now unless it just happens on its own. You promised you wouldn't do anything. So you want us to go behind her back and get her to fall for you without knowing what we're really doing?"

"That sounds risky. Not to mention we'd be going against our sister's wishes to help the guy who broke her," Nudge frowned.

I had to agree- it sounded pretty terrible the way they said it.

"Angel, you know I'm not lying. I really, truly, whole-heartedly love her. I never meant to cause her so much pain. I-" I broke off when the two sisters turned to each other, grinning mischievously. "Why are you smiling?"

"It's been a long time since we've had a real Project Max," Angel said.

"This one's major. I think it even deserves to be promoted to Operation Maximum."

"Oh, absolutely. This is bigger than anything we've ever done before. And riskier. Max would totally flip out if she found out about this one."

Seeing that I was thoroughly confused about what was going on, Nudge was kind enough not to leave me in the dark. "For the past few years, since we've settled into the City, Angel and I have worked on a series of goals, each known as Project Max. The more extreme ones sometimes get dubbed Operation Maximum. They started as ways to get Max to stop being so paranoid and settle into our new home. She was still too jumpy about whitecoats and erasers. Then they kind of evolved into different ways to make her happy; even if she didn't like the actual projects, something good always came from them."

Angel cut in. "One of the first was getting her to take martial arts at Five Points. Then we got her to apply as a personal trainer where she works now. Setting her up with Ari and getting her to move in with him were two of our bigger projects."

"That wasn't so great, but if it hadn't been for that, she would have never met you, Fang," Nudge continued. I'd never thought of it that way. "Since she's met you, we've had a series of Projects to get you two together. Makeovers, dates, hints, and advice, even the ring Iggy and I persuaded you to buy were all part of different Projects. It was all going perfectly until you screwed up our plans by leaving with that Feline. I had even begun designing Max's wedding dress!" Nudge glared at me.

I was too stunned by this new information to be affected by her accusing glare. Max and I, even our relationship, were part of a larger picture. It sounded like the kind of thing the whitecoats and Itex would do- manipulating our lives to fit their own agendas while thinking we'd done everything on our own.

Angel grinned in response to my thoughts. "That's where we got the idea. We've never been caught by Max because we've learned from the best. By now, even Itex's got nothing on us."

I thought about all this for another minute. "So you'll help me with Max?"

Angel and Nudge communicated silently again. I don't know if they actually used Angel's power or if it was just one of those girl things where they didn't need words to understand each other.

"We have our own agenda. We don't follow anyone else's, but for now, I think ours runs parallel to yours. So for now, at least, we'll be helping you. But don't depend on us to do everything for you. Dylan's looking like a really good runner-up right now. One wrong move and you may find yourself working against us."

"Thanks, Nudge, Angel. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 MPOV Duped**

"Nudge! Angel! Why do you have to do this to me now?" I whined, "You haven't made me go shopping or be your Barbie in months. Why now?"

"Because you've finally snapped out of that zombie-mode you were in. It's no fun doing this if we can't get you to go out anywhere. And even your ever-present complaining is a relief from the complacent silence you gave us." Angel dragged me into the mall.

"So that's all I have to do? Quit complaining and stay home? I would have done that ages ago if I'd known."

"No way, Max. That's different. We gave you space because we know you were still upset about Fang. Now he's back and Dylan's here too. And I'm sure Sam still wouldn't turn down a chance with you."

I felt my face heat up. "No way, Nudge. They're just friends, all of them. And you know very well why."

"Yah, yah. Fang broke your heart once already. Sam's just a normal human. Dylan's only… oh, that's right! You have nothing against Dylan, no reason not to give him a chance."

"I don't have anything against him _yet_. But still, I don't feel that way about him. Even if I did, he doesn't like me that way."

Angel rolled her eyes. "Of course he does, Max. He's just too good a friend to go after the girl Fang loves. Besides, he already owed Fang his life; he's not going to steal his girl unless you show you like him better than Fang."

"Exactly. I don't like him better than Fang, so there's no way he'd go for me."

"Oh, so you do like Fang," Nudge grinned evilly. I sighed and let it go. There was no winning this one.

Apparently, half a wardrobe of new clothes wasn't enough for me. I also "needed" a manicure and pedicure, a haircut, and the lashes ripped out of my eyebrows. I'm sure if there was a place for mutants to get their wings groomed, they would have dragged me there, too.

They even made me carry the ridiculous number of shopping bags they accumulated. "It'll build up the muscles in your arms and give you good posture, if you do it right. Good posture is one of a girl's best accessories, right up there with confidence, a nice smile, and shoes," Nudge lectured.

"I thought eyeliner was the best accessory," Angel said.

"No, that's the best cosmetic. And silver hoops are the best jewelry. A flat-iron or a good curling iron is a necessity for hair. And a nice-scented lotion is irreplaceable when it comes to skin. If you have those staple items, you can look fabulous in just about anything."

"Oh, right. Now I remember." Angel smiled brightly at her teacher.

It was nice for Angel to have such a good mentor during these rough middle-school years, but that didn't mean I wanted to be their crash dummy for their demos and experiments.

It didn't help that on the way home, the people on the subway kept staring at us because of Nudge's loud chatter and the 100 or so bags we carried. My skin was crawling and my nerves were frayed by the time I walked into the Nest. To make matters worse, the boys had been chilling out and playing video games all afternoon. That looked like fun.

As soon as they caught sight of us, they leapt into action.

"There you are, Nudge. I was wondering where you went. I need your advice down at my bakery." Iggy pulled Nudge right out the door.

"Hey Angel, let's go down to the park," Gazzy and Angel were right on their heels.

"Here, Max, just drop those bags where you are. I'll put them in your closet for you," Dylan offered.

"Come sit down, Max. Here, drink this. Iggy made it." Fang pulled me to the couch and handed me a mug of hot tea.

I looked around, confused. The tea helped calm me down, but that didn't distract me from their odd behavior. "What's going on? Why are you guys acting weird? I swear, if you let those two make a bomb-"

Fang smirked. "No bombs, promise. We haven't lived through whitecoat experiments and eraser attacks without gaining some self-preservation. We knew that after spending thirteen hours at Nudge and Angel's mercy, you'd explode faster than one of those bombs you mentioned. So we took action to get the girls out of the danger zone and get you to calm down."

I was a little miffed at that, but also pretty grateful. I would have regretted yelling at Nudge and Angel, and this tea really did work.

"Well, thanks, I guess." I sat back onto the couch. There was a fire in the fireplace, casting a warm glow throughout the room. Suddenly, I felt the last thirteen hours catching up to me. With a yawn, I took another sip of tea.

"Hmm. This has a strange flavor," I mused, "Kind of sweet, like syrup." Realization hit me. "You didn't! Tell me you didn't put sleep syrup in the tea!"

"Ok. I didn't put sleep syrup in the tea. But I can't say for sure what Iggy put in it."

I felt myself being pulled under by the drug. "When I wake up… I'll make you all hurt so bad… the sound of… my name will… scare you," I said between yawns. With that, I slipped into unconsciousness thanks to those horrible boys.

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When I woke up, I found myself in my bed. Still groggy with sleep, I pulled the blankets tighter around me. '_Why am I so tired?'_ I didn't usually sleep this much. '_What happened?'_ Then I remembered the tea. Sitting up, I waited for the fury to fill me. The tea's effects still lingered, and I remained calm. That didn't mean I wasn't already planning my revenge.

I crept out of my bed toward the kitchen. The sound of voices- the boys' voices- stopped me.

"Just how mad do you think she'll be when she wakes up?"

"Well, considering that she gave me a rather threatening promise to do some major damage while she was under the influence of the sleep drug, I'd say that she's going to be very scary when she's not drugged up."

"Are Angel and Gazzy still at the skate park?"

"Yep. Nudge and Iggy will pick them up on their way home."

I figured it was ok to make my entrance then. I walked into the kitchen, straight to the fridge with no more than a glance in the guys' direction.

"Hey Dylan. Hey Fang." I popped open a can of soda and leaned back against the counter. They looked at me worriedly. I smiled at them. "How was your day? Did Iggy beat you all at Call of Duty again?"

Dylan and Fang just stared at me, trying to cover their shock. Was my temper really that volatile? Judging by their expressions, yes, yes it was.

Fang recovered first. "No, I won Call of Duty. But he did beat us all combined on Assassin's Creed. I still have no idea how he does it."

Dylan and Fang got into a discussion about video games and Iggy's abilities, clearly trying to keep the convo on a safe topic. I however was focused on another dialogue.

'_Hey, Angel, you listening?'_

_ 'Yep. What's up Max? You're not still mad at us, are you?'_

_ 'At you and Nudge? Nah. I always get over it, don't I? But those boys… drugging me was a major transgression on their part.'_

'_Not Gazzy, though, right? He didn't have anything to do with the tea. I checked.'_

_ 'Then Gazzy's safe. But I'm planning to give Dylan, Fang, and especially Iggy a night they'll never forget. You in or out?'_

Angel must have scanned my thoughts because I could practically see her grinning evilly as she said, '_Oh, I'm in. I hear it's supposed to rain tonight.'_

I fought to keep the evil grin off my own face. '_I trust you can get Nudge on board? She'll be crucial to our plan.'_

_ 'No problem, Max.'_


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 FPOV Retaliation **

"Hey, Nudge, I was thinking. Why don't you and Iggy stop at the apartment on your way over here," Max was talking on the phone, "You should get some fresh clothes for the three guys. No one's done laundry over here for a while." Dylan had moved in with Iggy and me a little while ago. That way he wouldn't have to live so far away from the rest of the flock, and we could keep an eye out for each other. And, you know, split the insanely expensive NYC rent.

Max continued on, "And don't forget to lock up. There've been reports of some break-ins down there. The last thing we need is some idiot breaking in and finding all those photos of us and our wings."

I shook my head. Max was still too paranoid.

When Iggy and Nudge got home with Angel and Gazzy, our resident chef made a huge dinner for all of us- Max's favorites. No doubt he was trying to stay in her good graces.

We all sat down in front of the TV, food comas creeping up on us. "You really out-did yourself, Ig. That was way too good."

"I second that," Dylan said, already closing his eyes.

"Thanks, guys. No prob," Iggy mumbled.

I for one couldn't stay awake any longer. Instead of fighting sleep, I embraced it. The couch was comfortable, my stomach was full, I had my friends and family next to me, Max wasn't mad at us. In fact, she was leaning on my shoulder. Life was good.

And then it became horribly, mortifyingly, terrible.

I woke up to find Dylan, Iggy, and myself outside the Nest, stripped down to our boxers.

With a string of profanity, I leapt up, waking the other two and prompting a similar response from them. I tried the door. It was locked.

"Ok, let's think rationally. We should split up and look for a way in. Try to wake up one of the others. If that fails, try all doors, windows, and vents."

We circled around the two-story penthouse. Meeting up on the other side, we shared our disappointing reports.

"Doors?"

"Locked."

"Windows?"  
"Shut tight."

"Air vents?"

"Too small for even a kid."

"The girls?"

"Judging by their voices, they're either oblivious or the culprits. I'd put my money on the later."

"Gazzy?"

"I saw him in his room-"

"Good, they didn't get him. Maybe he can-"

"-duct taped to his chair."

"Oh, no. What did they do to him?"

"Nothing, apparently. He's watching TV. I think the girls just didn't want him helping us."

I sighed. "How about flying over to our apartment?"

"Nudge and I locked everything up when we left, because- hey, wait! Because Max told us to! She totally planned this!"

"Ok, think. We each have a key. Where are they?"

"Coat pocket," Dylan said dejectedly.

"Jeans," Iggy sighed, dismayed.

"Kitchen counter," I sighed, disappointed. '_There goes that plan.'_

We spent the next hour coming up with possible solutions. Since we couldn't fly anywhere where people might see us with our wings- or, you know, almost naked- we were limited to the pent house.

Since the rest of the flock was either a conspirator or a captive, we were on our own. Since there was no way in on our own, we were stuck out here.

So we spent the hour after that banging on the window, threatening, then apologizing to, then trying to reason with, then finally begging, the girls. To add salt to our wounds, it started raining. A cold, heavy, windy, freezing, New-York-in-the-winter rain. Good thing I wasn't wearing white.

"Whitecoats, erasers, mad scientists, psycho billionaires, Felines, hostile mutants, manipulation and evil plots? No big deal. But put us up against a trio of girls and we're helpless," Iggy complained. Even when our lips stared turning blue and our hair was plastered to our heads, the girls did not let up.

We sat outside, waiting in the cold, until the skyline began to lighten. The night was over.

"You think we should try to wake one of them up now?" Dylan asked. Foolish boy. Surely he'd been around long enough to know better?

Iggy shook his head. "Are you crazy? I bet anything that Gazzy's still duct-taped. Angel and Nudge wouldn't do anything without Max's permission. And if we woke up Max this early… well, let's just say that tonight was a walk in the park compared to what she'd do to us if we woke her up now."

So we waited some more. I estimated it to be about 10:00 when Iggy say up with a jolt.

"Someone's at the front door, unlocking it. Let's go!"

We rushed around to the other side. Max was picking up the newspaper. Swiftly and silently, the three of us darted inside and into the living room before Max turned around and came back inside.

"Oh, good morning boys. How did you sleep last night?" The 'innocent' smile on Max's lips was too mischievous. "Oh, you're all wet! Here, let me grab some blankets."

From the closet she grabbed three thick blankets, which she wrapped around each of us. "How about a hot drink to warm you up? Gazzy's making some tea right now."

We cringed. "OK, ok! We get it! And we're sorry we drugged you. Can we just get some warm clothes and go to sleep?"

Max studied our expressions. Whatever she saw there- remorse, hope, dread- made her laugh.

"Ok. Take turns in the shower. Nudge just put some pajamas in the direr so they'll be nice and warm for you. Iggy, you can sleep in her room. Fang, Dylan, you can decide who gets my room and who asks Gazzy if he minds you using his. If he does, you get the couch; stay away from Angel's room. I say that for your protection, not hers- Nudge and Angel are working on something top-secret and very girly-sounding in there."

We said our thanks and did as she instructed.

I have no doubt that I wasn't the only one who silently vowed to never get on Max's bad side again. Who knows what she'd come up with next.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 MPOV Set-up**

Life was back to normal. The boys were on their best behavior for a week after being locked outside. They went out of their way to make us girls happy. Even though Nudge and Angel still dragged me shopping, it was mostly for Christmas gifts lately. After all, Christmas was only three weeks away. Because Gazzy and Angel were still in school, this meant that Nudge and I got a lot on one-on-one time.

Unfortunately, the holiday season also meant that all of us adults were busy with work. People flooded the gyms, trying to keep the pounds off for the holidays. Nudge was swamped with orders for her new line of clothes and the demand for Iggy's famous Christmas cookies was not limited to the flock. He had to hire five more bakers so that the little shop he owns could be open 24-hours a day, 5 days a week.

Needless to say, I was looking forward to a quiet movie night with the whole flock. Everyone had blocked off tonight so that we could spend the night together. Or so I thought.

"Gazzy! Angel! Come down and we'll start the movies!"

"They're not here, Max. Angel has to finish a project for school with some of her classmates, so she went to the library. Gazzy's in detention for setting off a stink bomb in the bathroom- don't worry, I took care of it." Nudge told me. Well, that was a shame.

We were about to sit down, when Nudge's phone buzzed. She checked it. With a look of alarm, she said, "Oh my gosh! My studio! I have to get over there, now! Sorry, Max. Come on Iggy! You too Dylan, I need someone to drive the car."

"But- hey!" Dylan didn't get a chance to protest before he was pulled out the door behind Nudge and Iggy.

Fang and I looked at each other. "Guess it's just you and me tonight," he shrugged. '_This is going to be awkward.'_

The microwave beeped, and the smell of popcorn reached us. Fang went to get it. "Anything else you want? A drink?"

"Sure, I'll have a Pepsi. Bring those M&Ms in here, too."

I looked at the stock of movies Nudge had picked out for tonight.

'_The Notebook, Dear John, Titanic, 50 First Dates… there's no way this is a coincidence. Nudge planned this.'_

Fang put down the food and drink. "What're our options?"

I held up one of the DVDs. "Nudge's Choice Award-winning movies. All from the category 'So sappy sweet, it'll make you gag'! It's your call."

Fang laughed. "Well in that case…" he closed his eyes, spun in circles, and pointed blindly at one of the DVDs I held up. Without bothering to see what it was, I turned on the TV. We sat down on the couch, Fang keeping a careful distance from me. Determined not to make this night awkward, I turned and put my feet up on the couch, stretching my legs across Fang's knees.

"At least we can laugh when the actors make fools of themselves. They're always over-dramatic in these movies."

"Especially if it's one Nudge picked out," Fang agreed, visibly relaxing. He reached over and dumped the bag of peanut M&Ms into the popcorn. I raised an eyebrow at that. He shrugged.

"I guess I just got into the habit. I've been doing this since you told me you liked it on our first movie-date. Now I can't eat popcorn without M&Ms." I laughed and reached for a handful.

The windows grew dark as one after another, we went through the movies. Fang was surprisingly good at exaggerated mimicry, almost as good as Gazzy. My running commentary kept him bent over with laughter. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard for so long.

After a particularly hilarious recitation from Fang, Nudge walked in and found us collapsed in a heap on the floor, laughing too hard to breathe.

"I thought those movies were supposed to be romances, not comedies," Iggy said to Nudge.

"They were," she huffed. The sight of her with her hands on her hips, glaring at is, set off another round of hysterics.

When we finally composed ourselves, I grinned at my sister. "You missed out on an awesome night. How's the studio?"

"Huh? Why- oh! Right, yah. The studio's fine. I'm just picking up some PJs for Gazzy and Angel. We're staying at the guys' place tonight.

"Ok, we'll go-"

"Well, gotta run, see yah! Come on, Iggy." Once again, Fang and I were left here by ourselves.

Fang rolled his eyes. "She totally can't do subtle"


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 Dylan's POV Disquiet **

Max was out again tonight. Her trips to the Empire State Building were less frequent, but every now and then she would come up here, especially when she had something on her mind.

I enjoyed watching her practice flying from up here. After all these years of being a city girl, she's never lost her toughness, or her skill and grace when flying. She was special, that Maximum Ride.

Disappearing around the corner, Max flew out of sight. I jumped when she landed behind me, dropping from above.

"Hey Dylan," she greeted me, rising from a crouch. She wasn't surprised to see me. Somehow, she never was.

"Hey, what's up?" She knew what I meant. Not just a greeting, but a question asking 'what's bothering you tonight? What daemons in the dark keep you from sleeping?'

"Nightmares again," she shrugged.

"Of the School or of that Voice blabbing at you?"

"Both, this time. Sometimes together." She shook her head. "The School nightmares terrify me, but it's the ones with the Voice that keep me up. It speaks in riddles that I know I could figure out, but none of them make any sense so far."

"Wanna talk about them? Maybe I could help you solve those riddles." Once again, Max denied the offer. I wish she would trust me enough to help. She obviously was bothered by these dreams. Or maybe it wasn't a trust issue. Maybe it was about pride- she wouldn't want to seem weak- or stubbornness- she wanted to do this on her own- or fear- she didn't want to make her nightmares any more real to her than they already were. Whatever the reason, it frustrated me that I couldn't help more.

She sat down and I sat beside her, putting my arm around her. Normally, she'd never let that slide, but on these nights, she just leaned into me. As much as I wanted to say it was because she liked me, I mean really liked me, I knew it was only because she was looking for comfort and trusted me enough to be comfortable like that.

It was a strange set-up. I couldn't help her, I couldn't show affection to her, but I could comfort her, hold her as she chased away the daemons that haunted her.

A shadow caught my eye. A dark-winged figure circled above our heads, then flew off. Fang. We had an agreement- whoever found Max first could stay with her for the night. The other had to go home and sleep. I tightened my hold on Max. Fang needed to give up. It had been almost four months since he came back and Max still has shown no romantic interest in him. It was time he stepped back and stopped hindering other guys' chance at winning her over.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 FPOV Holidays**

Christmas was always one of my favorite holidays. Plenty of food, the city all decked out in lights, everyone in a good mood. Even Max didn't get angry at the long shopping trips with Nudge.

It was Christmas Eve, and Gazzy and Iggy were throwing a party. With the advice and consent of Nudge and Angel, of course. Iggy spent all day cooking in the apartment while the girls decorated the pent house. Gazzy did everything else- from picking out the playlist to compiling the guest list. It was the one time of the year that we invited non-Avian into the Nest. Despite the hassle of hiding our wings (in person and in photos) it was a ton of fun. Everyone mingled and talked, excited for tomorrow.

"Hey, Dylan! Come over here and help me hang this up! I can't reach the top of the tree!"

"Sure, Angel, in a minute."

"Dylan!"

"Just one-"

"_NOW_!" The poor guy walked away from Max to help Angel. He'd better be careful- she was already irritated with him for teasing her when Nudge put the angel tree-topper on the evergreen.

Nudge caught my eye. With a significant look, she tilted her head in Max's direction. Apparently their Operation Maximum was still in my favor. I picked up an extra drink and walked over to Max.

"Here," I handed her the drink.

"Thanks. How's it going?" Max took a gulp of punch.

"Everyone outdid themselves this time. The party's great; I think everyone I know is here."

"Yah, tell me about it. And I'm stuck wearing this," she gestured to her short red dress, black heels, and gold accessories, "At least I can walk in heals now. Remember that one year? When I tripped and knocked down the garland? And then that knocked over the punch bowl and the candles, setting the table on fire and dying everyone's clothes red."

We laughed at the memory of her klutziness. As graceful as she was in the air, she wasn't always so secure when she didn't have solid ground beneath her feet. But now she could strut around ten inches off the ground without blinking an eye- that is, if Nudge managed to get her to wear shoes that high. That wasn't often.

"OOH! Look who's under the mistletoe! Max and Fang! Now you have to kiss her, Fang!" Nudge's voice rose above the chatter in the room. Max and I snapped our heads up. Sure enough, there was the offending green bundle. We both hastily took a step away from each other and out from beneath the mistletoe.

"Nope! You still have to kiss her!" One of the guests pushed me back toward Max. Everyone started talking over one another. "Kiss her!" "Come on!" "Right on the mouth!" "Kiss her, Fang." "Don't be shy, she won't bite-oh, wait, Max might." "KISS HER!"

"OK, _Ok_!" I leaned toward Max and placed a quick kiss on her cheek. Instead of appeasing the crowd, they just roared louder. "No! A real kiss!" "On the lips" "What was that?" "Kiss her!"

I looked at Max. Her face was pink, but she shrugged. We kissed briefly, then pulled away. Everyone was silent, watching.

"No! Come on! Give her a _real _kiss!" Gazzy was enjoying our embarrassment way too much. Unfortunately, the others took up his call. I protested.

Her face almost as red as her dress, Max turned to me. "Come on, Fang, stop making this more awkward than it has to be." She pulled my head down to hers and kissed me firmly on the mouth. I was surprised by her boldness, but put my hands on her hips and kissed her back. When she pulled away, she left me breathless. Max smirked at my dazed and slightly baffled expression before picking up her cup.

"Thanks for the drink, Fang," I watched her walk away into the crowd, swallowed up by the cat calls and teasing friends. I caught sight of Dylan walking away with a scowl on his face. I could tell he had expected Max to punch me for kissing her, not kiss me herself. '_Or maybe he had been hoping to be the one underneath the mistletoe with her.'_ I silently reminded myself to thank Angel and Nudge when I got the chance.

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It was New Year's Eve. News cameras scanned the crowd and celebrities performed on the constructed stages while everyone waited for the ball to drop. It was below freezing outside.

Which was why we were watching this all on TV from the comfort of the Nest like any normal American. Let the crazy ones stand outside in Times Square and the surrounding streets. Even Dylan, who hadn't grown up in a dog crate, agreed that the crowds and cameras made him feel claustrophobic.

"Oh, shhh! The count-down's starting!" Gazzy hushed everyone. I edged toward Max.

"… Nine….Eight…Seven…" our eyes were glued to the TV screen. "Three!... Two! … ONE! _Happy_ _New_ _Year_!" Angel and Gazzy threw streamers into the air and spun noise-makers. Dylan popped open a bottle of sparkling cider. Nudge and Iggy kissed. Max hugged me. I kissed Max.

And was surprised to find that she didn't pull away. Instead, she ran her hand along the side of my face. Then our lips broke apart and my head snapped to the side when her fist connected with my jaw.

I let Max go, but smirked. "That's our Max. Toughest girl in the city, starting the year off right."

"And don't you forget it," she jabbed her finger at me. "Happy New Year, Fang."

Despite the oncoming bruise, I didn't regret kissing her. Had to start the year off right, after all.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 FPOV The Hunt**

I landed on top of the Empire State Building. Max was there, waiting. As per usual, I stayed silent until she was ready to say something. This time took longer than usual; whatever was bothering her must be serious. More than the usual nightmares. Finally, she spoke.

"When you left, I wasn't just hurt, I was terrified. I grieved my losses, especially the flock. It wasn't safe for me to stay, I thought. I tried to leave every night, but never found the strength to. So I ended up here, crying, shouting, or just sitting in a trance. I was a mess."

"Max-" my voice was pained. What brought this up? What was she thinking? Was she planning on leaving again? Why?

"But you came back. You proved yourself to me. Even when I screamed and cursed and fought, even when I shouted all sorts of obscenities and accusations, you always came back. Consistent, reliable, trustworthy. I was wrong. You never betrayed us, not really. I was wrong, and I've never been so happy to admit that." She finally looked at me, a smile gracing her lips. I walked up to her and stood next to her, our shoulders touching. I didn't know what to say, or even if anything needed to be said.

It was only about 11:00 when she yawned. Whatever had been bothering Max must have been resolved because she decided to head home and get some sleep. I agreed, happy that she would be getting some sleep that night.

"Call me if you need anything, anything at all. It doesn't matter what time it is, I'll come get you."

"Thanks, Fang, but I think I'm going to be conked out for the rest of the night. I'm beat."

"I didn't mean just tonight," I said as she took off. I didn't know if she heard me or not, but she turned and waved before flying away.

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The next morning, I watched Max for any signs of change, any acknowledgement of last night's confession. Bus as usual, Max was careful to keep her night time excursions a secret from the rest of the flock. Actually, it kind of surprised me that she was still keeping this secret. Then again, who was I to talk about keeping secrets? Besides, she's been doing this for almost a year and a half. It was her refuge, and I could understand her not wanting to worry the others about it. I just hoped Dylan was smart enough to keep his trap shut.

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A week later, I was circling around the city, looking for Max. Dylan had beaten me to the Empire State Building, but Max wasn't there. A quick stop at the penthouse confirmed what I already knew- that Max was somewhere else in the city. The question was, where?

After checking all the other high points in the city, I decided to check places that meant something to her. It took about two hours, but I finally found her in Washington Square Park around 2:30 am.

Max was perched on top of the great archway; right above the place I first kissed her. I dropped down behind her, as silent as a shadow, but Max heard me anyway. She had been expecting me.

"Hey, Fang."

"Hey. Got bored with skyscrapers?"

"I'm retracing my steps."

That didn't make any sense to me, but I filed it away in my memory. It might come in handy later.

"So why here?" I looked at Max analyzing her mood. She looked a lot calmer, happier, than last week, but I still sensed some strain.

"This is where you asked me to trust you, truly trust you. Then later, I brought you back here to ask for that trust in return. Something had been bothering you that week, and I wanted to help you, but I didn't know how. Nudge said you were working up the nerve or waiting for the right moment to propose to me. So I shrugged it off as nerves when you didn't answer me. In hindsight, I realize that was probably the wrong thing to do. You had already known about Cat then, hadn't you? You were anxious about her being so close to the flock."

"Yes. She had been following me for some time, and I feared she would soon find out about the flock. She was looking for you, you know. I couldn't let het find you, and she already knew I had a girlfriend. I was so relieved that she thought you were just human."

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you trust me enough to help you? We could have found a better solution together. At the very least, I would have known why you left with her. Instead, you left me to believe so many awful lies. Lies that ripped us to shreds. Why?"

"I don't know, Max. I can't remember what I was thinking. I knew I had to protect you, but I just didn't think about asking for your help doing that. It was, by far, my biggest mistake. The worst mistake of my life. I regret it every day."

"I know. And now that I knew why you left, I can forgive you for it. But you have to come to me if anything that important ever happens again. Especially if hiding it could make me lose my trust in you. I can't go through that again, Fang," she warned.

"I know, I pro-"

"Hey! None of that! I told you I don't want your promises. You've broken too many of those already."

"Ok, how about: If I ever hide something that important from you again, you have my permission to hunt me down and clip my wings."

Max's eyes widened, but she gave no other signs of surprise. "That's serious, Fang. Are you sure you want to do that?"

"If I ever do that again, I expect you would hunt me down and clip my wings, regardless of whether or not I gave you permission" I told her.

After a minute, Max nodded. "I'll hold you to that."

I laughed, "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 MPOV Reawakening**

__I was going through my room this morning, looking for my _Mutant Encounters_ journal. I had forgotten to add in Dylan and update Fang's profile. Even Iggy's needed to be updated, now that he was officially engaged to Nudge. From the way she told it, the date and the resulting proposal had been as dramatic and romantic as her wildest dreams. I won't recount the details- -it was enough to make even Angel gag.

Anyway, while looking for the journal, I found my sketchbook. I hadn't drawn in it for so long! Hoping I hadn't lost too much of the skill, I dug up my drawing pencils and took the subway to Central Park.

"Hey, Max!"

"Dylan! Hi! What are you doing here?"

"I was just taking a walk, hoping to find a place to stretch out a bit," he meant his wings, "What do you have there?"

"My sketchbook."

"You draw?"

"I used to."

"Can I see?"

I held the book to my chest. "No way. But I need a model. Would you like to pose for me?"

"Only if I get to see the drawings after,"

"Nu-uh. They're not good. I'll pick the ones you get to see."

"You'll only pick the two best ones," Dylan complained.

"Exactly."

"How about this, the better a model I am, the more drawings I get to see."

"Deal. But I'm warning you, I've drawn Fang before. No one stays still like he can."

Dylan laughed, "Well, I'm always up for the chance to outdo my competition."

Dylan, it turns out, is an excellent model. He could hold the craziest poses and expressions for long periods of time then get back into the exact same place after taking a break. In contrast to the deep, mysterious drawings of Fang, Dylan kept me laughing half the time.

At one point, I was working on filling in a large area of value, and didn't see that my model had left his post. Dylan snuck up and snatched my sketchbook away.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"You want it? Come get it!" He ran away laughing, flipping through the pages.

"Ooh! What's this?" He held up the drawing for me to see. It showed Fang perched on a branch with is wings fully extended. Fang was shirtless.

I felt my cheeks burn. "We were dating then. It's not like I asked him to be a nude model or anything."

Dylan grinned, "Why? Have you thought about him being a nude model?"

"NO!" My whole face burned this time. Me and my big mouth.

Dylan just laughed. "I think you have, you just don't want to admit it. Oh, wait 'till Fang hears about this!"

"Dylan!" He ran off, laughing and shouting about telling Fang, "Get back here!" He didn't listen.

"_DYLAN!_"

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I stared out across the lake, wondering when was the last time the whole flock had been there. It was probably time to take them camping again.

It was a peaceful night. The calm water reflected the silver stars and bright moon. It was easy to spot the dark-winged shadow moving toward the cliff I sat on. I wondered who it was this time, Fang or Dylan. I expected Fang would be the first to figure out where I had gone. Sure enough, a moment later Mr. Dark-and-Silent landed with a running stop. He turned and came to sit beside me.

"Hi Fang"

"I think this belongs to you," he said for a greeting. Fang handed me my sketchbook.

"Oh, thanks. Dylan stole this from me yesterday while I was drawing him."

Fang didn't say anything for a while. "So. A Nude model, huh?"

My face burned again. "I have _not_ thought about you being a nude model. I don't care what Dylan thinks, I-"

"He didn't say anything about me being a model. He said you'd asked him to be a nude model for you."

My face reddened in anger this time. "That liar. I should have known posing for me would have gone to his head."

"So you didn't ask him to be a nude model?"

"No!"

"But you've thought about me being a nude model?"

"Didn't I just say that I have not thought-"

"Defensive much? Sounds to me like you have. You do have drawings of me with my shirt off."

"So? It's not like I hadn't seen you shirtless before. We were dating then."

"Yah, we were. Which reminds me, does your choice of hideout have anything to do with this?" Fang pulled out a photo from his jacket pocket. It was the one I'd left on my desk; the one of him and me kissing out here on the cliff.

"Yah, it does. We were so happy then. We all were." I lay back on the grass. "Every memory I have of this place is a happy one. That night you were reintroduced to the flock, and then you took me to look at the stars. That time here in the picture. All the fun times we had here. The first time you and Iggy came with us."

"What about that one time? I've seen the picture of you here. The one with the lyrics on the back? That didn't look like a happy time."

I didn't say anything for a long time. How much should he know?

"I hate to break to you, Fang, but that was a happy time. During that year, theses camping trips were the only time I felt remotely happy. It wouldn't be right to leave the flock while we were out here. They would think something happened to me. Besides, it was relatively safe out here. Anyone looking for me would be in the city."

"So these trips were the only time you didn't feel the need to leave them?"

"Right. Those were the times I rejoined their lives instead of pulling away. I listened to Gazzy tease Iggy about Nudge, and Iggy tease him back about his girlfriends. I watched Angel grow into an independent teenager. I laughed, I talked, I joked. I was still haunted, but I was more awake."

Neither of us said anything for a long time, both lost in our own thoughts. Finally, we agreed it was time to fly home, especially if I didn't want the others to know I had been out all night.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 FPOV Reunion**

Max's recount about rejoining the flock's lives made me think about my own connections with them. I had fought so hard to be a part of the family, but how much time have I actually spent with them? That's why, when Gazzy came home from school one day looking sullen, I decided to get some 1-o-1 time with the little pyro.

"Hey, Gazzy, grab your skateboard and come on. Let's check out that Ben Soto skate park."

"Sounds fun, Fang, but I heard it was impossible to get into."

"Don't worry about it. I got it covered." One of the mutants I'd tipped off had moved up here from Philly. He got a job running the park. When he heard I was back in the city, he had sent me two season passes to the park. It wasn't really my thing, but I figured Gazzy would like it.

We were at the end of the line of quarter pipes before I brought up Gazzy's formerly sullen mood. "So what had you so down this afternoon?"

Gazzy shrugged, "Just typical high school stuff, you know."

"Actually, I've never been to high school, so I really don't know."

"Oh, right. I keep forgetting I'm the first to get a high school education. You guys all have good jobs without degrees."

"So what's the deal?"

Gazzy looked at me, judging how much he wanted to tell me. "Well, there's this girl I like, but I don't think she likes me back. Not the same way."

"Why not? You're smart," I playfully shoved his helmet back, "you're strong," I punched his shoulder, "and you've got a sense of humor. Thanks to Nudge, you've got a decent fashion and Max has taught you how to treat a girl without sounding sexist."

"Well… yah, but it's like you, Max, and Dylan. There's another guy who likes her, too. Only, I'm the Dylan in this situation."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Fang. It's obvious Max likes you more. She sees Dylan as just a friend. I'm surprised he hasn't given up yet."

I decided to come back to that. Gazzy wanted help with his problems, not mine.

"You really like her? What's she like?"

"She's amazing. Her name's Alex. She's really nice, and smart, too. Everyone likes her."

"What about her personality?"

"Personality?" Gazzy looked at me blankly.

I rolled my eyes. "Is she more like Max or more like Nudge?"

"Oh! Definitely more like Max. Tough and athletic, but not so much in a fighting way. And not as bossy. Oh… uh… you wouldn't tell Max I said that, would you?"

"Nah. Is she like that girl over there?" I asked without moving my head.

"What girl?"

"The one behind you, at the beginning of the quarter pipes."

Gazzy looked, and then quickly ducked behind the edge of the quarter pipe. "That's her," he hissed, "Hey! Get down! Don't look at her!"

"Come on, Gazzy. Why don't you just ask her out?"

"Yah, right. Besides, what about the wings?"

"You think that stopped me from going out with Max? We didn't know about each other's wings until after things got serious."

Gazzy still looked doubtful. I looked back at Alex and her group of friends. An idea was forming in my head.

"Hey, wait, what are you doing? You've got that look. What are you planning?"

"Let's race, Gazzy. From here to the girls. If you get there first, you ask Alex out. If I get there first, I tell her you like her, but are too shy to ask her out. It's a win-win situation."

"What? No, it's not! Fang!"

"Ready, Set, GO."

"Fang!"

I started skating towards the girls, knowing that he would follow me. Sure enough, about half way there he passed me. And now Iggy can tease Gazzy about his new girlfriend.

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"Fang, when is your next Kali class?" Angel asked me.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I want to learn how to fight."

"Why? You don't need to fight."

"I know, but everyone else does. I want to be able to fight with them if anything ever happens."

"Nothing is ever going to happen. Besides, you know we would make you run away before you had to fight," I reminded her.

Angel crossed her arms. "Fine. Then I want to be able to defend myself in case you guys aren't there."

"What about Gazzy? He doesn't know how to fight either."

"He doesn't have to. He can just blow them all up with his bombs."

"And you can just use your psycho mind-powers to make them go away."

Angel glared, relentless. "Fine, how about this, Angel? You come to one of my Judo classes; see how you do. But you have to get Max and Nudge to approve." I didn't want her learning Kali. The idea of Angel with weapons training, even if it was just a stick, scared me to death. And even with Judo, I wanted two other opinions. Besides, they were Angel's guardians, not me.

They both must have yielded to Angel's determination because on Saturday, Angel came with me to one of my classes.

"Ok, Angel. I'm going in to change. You do the same. There's a door on the other side that leads to the training room. Meet me there in ten minutes, ok?"

"Sure, Fang," she smiled brightly at me.

When my whole class was assembled, I began with a brief introduction, a demonstration with Dylan, and then some instruction. Finally, in the last half of the class, I had everyone pair up and duel, changing partners after every two defeats.

I walked around, giving pointers and advice where it was needed, and kept an eye on Angel. She was going up against adults twice her size. She wasn't doing too badly. With every mistake she made, she learned from it and improved. By the end of the class, she was able to win two out of every three spars.

"Good job, Angel. I'm impressed."

"Thanks, Fang. Do you have another class? That was fun!"

"Not today. There's another group of Jūdōka coming in to practice together, though. Would you like to watch?"

"I want to join them."

"I don't know, Angel. They're more advanced than you. They've had years of experience."

"Please, Fang," she gave me the Bambi eyes.

I looked away, resisting. She continued to plead with me. "Pretty please, I won't tell Max. Please, pleeaassee." Stupidly, I looked back at her. Damn those Bambi eyes. Anything but the Bambi eyes.

"We'll ask them. You have to follow all their rules. And absolutely no mind tricks! Max will have my head if she finds out I let you expose us that way."

"Thank you! I promise!"

'T_hat girl could get away with murdering the president if she wanted to. She'll be a real heart breaker someday._'

At 1:00, the group gathered in the training room. I was asked to supervise and referee their mock-tournament, so they weren't surprised to see me. Angel, however, got some curious looks.

"Ok, everyone. You all know what you're here for; you know the rules. One-on-one, two points to win. If you win, you move on to the next round.

"Now, what you don't know: this is Angel." Everyone turned their attention to the 13-year-old at the back of the room. "She's a new student of mine. She wants to try her hand at this. It's up to you whether or not you'll allow her to join you."

After a brief consensus, they agreed to let the little girl compete. I was worried about her at first, but then I began worrying about the others. I pulled her aside between rounds.

"Angel, I thought I said no mind tricks," I crossed my arms.

"And I promised you I wouldn't." I scowled at her. "I haven't! Not even mind-reading, I swear."

With a shake of my head, I sent her back. "Ok. Good luck in the next round."

Dylan came in for the second half. I was too worried about Angel to be an attentive and impartial judge, so I asked him to take over the job. Angel remained strong and true. Even with just basic knowledge, she managed to thwart those with years of experience. She was the prime example of what I've been trying to tell my students all along: remember the basics. With those, you can do anything.

It was down to the last four when Angel came to me.

"Fang, I'm nervous… I don't think I can take down these guys. They're all a lot stronger than me."

"Hey, don't think like that. Judo is about using your opponent's strength against him. If you focus, you can beat the three of them together. Besides, you've lived with Max all your life. She can take down Dylan and me together. I have no doubt you've picked up a thing or two from her."

"But what if I still can't? What would Max say?"

"She's not going to know about this, remember? Even if she was, she would tell you it's ok to lose every once in a while, as long as you learn from your mistakes and get right back up again."

Angel relaxed. "Thanks, Fang. I'll do my best."

She stood up, facing one of the three men in the final four. By now, everyone knew not to go easy on Angel. With a bow, they began. He got the first point, but Angel got the second. Within two minutes, she got the third and winning point.

She lost the next round, the final, but only by a narrow margin. She was disappointed by her loss, but more excited about how well she did. I treated her to gelato at Caio Bella after.

"Did you see the size of that guy? I thought he was going to tackle me and be done with it. And that one woman? Are you sure she isn't part snake? She was fast. But I was faster. I got her, and I didn't even have to read her mind." Angel excitedly jabbered on.

"See, Angel? You didn't need lessons. You already knew everything you need to know about self-defense. It's instinct for us. And the rest you picked up in a snap."

Angel beamed at me. "Thanks, Fang. Thanks for letting me stay for the competition."

"No problem. I enjoyed watching their faces when you kicked their butts."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 MPOV Nostalgia**

I grinned, watching Nudge fly around my room like a whirlwind. Three minutes ago, I had told her I was going to the Pacha club tonight and that they shouldn't wait up for me. As expected, she flipped.

"You can't just 'go to the club'! It's not like the grocery store or the gym. First of all, you need to be dressed for a club. That takes time, Max! And then, you need a pass to get in, or you'll have to wait in one of those ridiculous lines. I mean, really, Max, were you even thinking? If you hadn't told me you were going, I wouldn't have been able to give you my pass, let alone make sure you looked good."

She rambled on, furious at my thoughtlessness. I had known she would want to dress me up- that's why I had told her where I was going. I have to admit, however, that I didn't expect her to have a VIP pass to the club. Apparently, she had gotten it from the owner of the club, who was a huge fan of Nudge's fashion line.

When Nudge was done tossing clothes at me, she shoved me into the walk-in closet so that I could change.

"Thanks, Nudge."

Those two words stopped her. "Wait…. What? Did you just thank me for forcing you into tiny, revealing, sexy clothes?"

"Um… yes?"

"Are you ok, Max? Are you Max? You aren't one of those clones, are you? Angel! Get in here and help me figure out what's wrong with Max's head!" I heard Iggy and Gazzy burst out laughing while Angel walked into the room.

After ten minutes of convincing Nudge that I wasn't a clone and wasn't sick or delusional, she shoved me back into the closet. She was appalled that she had wasted ten whole minutes on something as trivial as reassuring my identity and my sanity when we could have been getting makeup on by now.

A surprisingly short time later, I was dressed, makeup-ed, accessorized, hair stylized, and shoeified. I don't think I'll ever stop being grateful for the lessons Nudge and Angel put me through last year. Not only could I now walk in the six-inch heals they just put me in, but I will be able to dance in them, too.

"Hey, Nudge, why do I need six-inch heals? I'm already really tall."

"You don't. They are incredibly amazing shoes that go perfectly with your outfit and just so happen to be six inches tall."

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I was standing in the Pacha club, off to the side of the dance floor. Despite having come here on my own free will, I really didn't feel like dancing. Not with some stranger, anyway. Instead, I watched the crowd and waited for one of the boys to find me. To my surprise, one of them did, but he wasn't Avian.

"Max? Is that you?" I turned to see a man approaching me.

"Ian! Wow, long time no see." I greeted one of Fang's and my old friends.

"Wow, really. You look great. How are you?"

"Thanks, I'm good. How about you?"

"Not too bad, but I miss my old friends. How's Nick doing? I would have thought for sure he'd be here with you."

"Nick was out of town for a year. He got back in September, though. I'm surprised he hasn't been here. I think he'll be here tonight, though." A new song started up.

"Well then, while you wait for him, how about I buy you a drink?"

"How about a dance instead?" I'd sworn off alcohol after the bar fight with Nick. Besides, I liked this song, and I felt like dancing.

Ian lead me out to the floor, far enough from the center that we could still talk and wouldn't have other people shoving us. Conscious of my wings, I was grateful for that. Ian and I danced together for several songs, catching up on everything that had happened in the last year and a half. I felt bad for lying to him, but he didn't need to know all the horrible details. I told him Fang and I had broken up about the same time we'd stopped coming here. Fang left the city for a year, and then came back in September.

"He's been trying to get me to date him again since then. It took me a long time just to let him near the house, there's no way I'm going to make it easy for him to win me over a second time."

"Well, I thought you two were great together. You were always so happy. Whatever happens, I hope it all works out for you two."

"Thanks, Ian."

After several more songs and many declined invitations to dance with other guys, I saw Fang walk in. Ian decided it was time to let me dance with another guy.

"As much as I enjoy your company, Max, I'd rather not get on Nick's hit list. I'll see around. Say hi to him for me, will you?"

"Sure. See you some other time."

It only took Fang five minutes to find me. It took another three minutes for him to reach me.

"This is new. What brings you here?" Fang put his hands on my hips. I leaned back into him, still dancing.

"That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Alright. So, what's the reminiscence tonight?"

"It was going to be about that night we came here, then went to your apartment. The… uh… first night we did that."

"But?"

"But I figured you already heard that the night you took me there when I was drink. So tonight I'm here to learn how to just let go. When everything gets to be too much, to just let it all go. To learn to just stop thinking for a while."

"Well then, what should we do?"

"First, we can dance. Then, whatever I feel like doing at the moment."

"As long as its' not going to end up landing us in a hospital or a jail cell, it sounds good to me."

So we danced. For the most part, we didn't talk, content to pass the time letting the music wash over us like a wind current, guiding our movements but leaving the rest up to us.

By about 2 am, I must have been way tired and high on the music and the mood in the room. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm just lucky it turned out in my favor; it could have easily been a mortifying experience. I'm embarrassed just thinking about it.

"What? Fang caught me staring at him.

"Nothing." I looked away.

"You were staring at me. Why?" Usually, people would deny staring, but, as I said, I don't know what I was thinking.

"I was just trying to remember."

"Remember what?"

"What it was like to kiss you."

Fang's eyes softened and, if it was possible, darkened. Leaning down to my ear, he said, "Well, why don't I help you remember?"

He moved one hand to the back of my neck and slid the other further around my hips, pulling me closer to him. I didn't resist. God knows why, but I didn't resist. When Fang's lips touched mine, I moved my hands from around his neck to tangle in his black hair.

Fang's kiss was intoxicating; sweet and loving, but at the same time passionate and hungry. His lips moved against mine. I wanted more. When he tried to pull back, I caught his bottom lip between my teeth. He kissed me again with more fire.

My hands fisted in his hair and he pulled me even closer to him. When we broke away to breathe, Fang trailed his lips along my jaw and down my neck, leaving a trail of heat. He kissed the soft spot at the end of my collarbone and I felt my knees go weak. I didn't like that. I wasn't supposed to be going weak for him, he was supposed to melt for me. I caught his earlobe in my teeth, pulling gently before kissing his neck and jaw. Fang groaned deep in his throat and recaptured my lips with his own. I smiled at my success.

After we'd both calmed down, I rested my cheek against his chest. Fang kept his arms wrapped tightly around me. I breathed in his unique scent.

"Will that do, or do you still need help remembering?" Fang smirked.

"No, I'm good. That should be enough for the next year and a half."

Fang pulled back, grasping my shoulders and holding me at arm's length. "What? Max, you can't be serious. You-"

"Fang, I'm joking. Now shut up and stop ruining the moment." I leaned into him again. He kissed the top of my head and did what I told him to do. That's a good boy. I've trained him well.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 DPOV Last Chance**

As everyone got ready for Nudge and Iggy's wedding that week, I watched Max and Fang. Whatever happened between them that night they weren't home, they had been acting… weird. All smiley and flirty and friendly. I couldn't help the jealousy I felt build up inside me. If I had just gotten there first, this wouldn't have happened.

Unfortunately, Max hadn't been to the Empire State Building in weeks. She seemed to be choosing new places each week. I had to admit that Fang knew her better than I did, maybe better than anyone else did.

I still wasn't convinced that Fang deserved another chance with Max. How can she overlook the pain he put her through? How can she just forgive and forget and fall for Fang again? Maybe she hadn't yet. Maybe I still had a chance.

Nudge and Iggy's wedding was the talk of the town. It was a relatively small ceremony in Central Park. Even with everyone we know invited (that is, everyone we knew who wasn't out to get us), it was still less than 150 people. After all, you don't exactly have a sprawling family tree when you may or may not have been a test-tube baby. Even so, the newspapers and fashion magazines wanted to know all about the wedding of the famous Nudge Aveazule.

She designed the dress herself, as well as Max and Angel's dresses. Her sisters were the maid of honor and the flower girl, respectively. Fang, of course, was Iggy's best man, and Gazzy was the ring-bearer. I walked Nudge down the aisle, even though I was probably the least qualified for that position.

Iggy made the wedding cake himself, and was in charge of the catering. It was funny, watching him storm around the kitchen, yelling at the chefs for "ruining" the food. He could be across the room and know when a pan needed to be taken off the burner or a tray taken out of the oven. This bewildered the poor, human chefs.

The wedding went without a hitch. All the traditions were observed, except the father-daughter dance.

Max and Fang seemed to enjoy the wedding. Max spent an even amount of time dancing with everyone who asked her, but I could see her sneaking glances at Fang. He did the same.

When Nudge tossed the bouquet in the air, it flew straight to Max. There was no way she could have messed it. Nudge purposely did that. When Iggy threw the garter at Fang's face, I knew it was no accident. As much as I resented the obvious attempt to get Max and Fang together, it was funny to watch him slide the garter up her leg. I don't think I've ever seen Max's face so red. She matched the red roses in her hair.

Nudge and Iggy were going to spend their honeymoon in a private cottage in the mountains. They would have enough space to go on some short flights. That is, if they ever separated long enough to fly. Newlyweds.

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It was Tuesday night and, as usual, Max snuck out again. Rather than searching the city for her, I waited a little ways away from the penthouse. I watched where she went from there, staying just close enough to see her. To my surprise, Max landed on top of Five Points Academy.

"Wanna go in? I have a key," I offered.

Max spun around. "Dylan? Oh. Yah, sure."

I unlocked the training room and we walked in. Max walked to the center of the room, taking in every corner and shadow.

"You still get those nightmares?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, I'm not. I haven't for a few weeks."

"Ok, then, what do you want to talk about?"

"I don't have anything to say," she shrugged.

"You talk to Fang," I accused.

"Yes. I have a lot to say to him."

"But not to me?"

Again she shrugged. "Our relationship isn't as complicated as the one I have with Fang. Usually we talk about the major points of our relationship."

"That's how you decide where to go each night, isn't it? You're going back to the places that have important memories attached to them."

"Very good. I don't think Fang has figured that out yet, even with the added advantage he has."

"And you're not going to tell either of us where the next one is going to be?"

"Nope. That wouldn't be fair. I know about the deal you and Fang have. Early bird gets the worm."

"Why do you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Why are you letting yourself fall for him again?"

This surprised her. "I don't think I'm falling for him again. I think I'm letting myself get over what happened. Move on. Life's too short to hold a grudge after I've forgiven him."

"You're falling for him again. Everyone can see it. But what about other guys? Don't you think you should give them a chance?"

"Them, or you, Dylan?" She saw right through me.

"Me. Them. Does it matter?" I moved next to her. "Just tell me one thing, Max."

"What?"  
"How does this feel?" I held her face between my hands and kissed her. I meant for it to be a brief kiss, but found I couldn't pull away from her. I'd waited too long for this. Max rested her hands on my shoulders. Encouraged, I kissed her deeper. When we finally pulled back, I rested my forehead against Max's.

"How did that feel?" I asked again.

"It… didn't feel wrong. You're not a bad kisser, either. But… it still wasn't right. It was just a kiss. It… I don't know." She pulled away from me.

"It wasn't Fang's kiss."

"No… no, it wasn't."

I sighed. "I guess I already knew, I just wasn't ready to admit defeat."

"Already knew what?"

"That you love Fang, of course. Even if you still feel hurt over what he did, some part of you still loves him. He's the one for you."

Max sat down, thinking. I sat down next to her. We didn't say anything for a long time.

"Now what?"

"Now you do what you have to do to get over Cat and her deception. Fang truly loves you, so he'll wait as long as you need him to. Heck, you could tell him to jump off a cliff and he would do it, then wait to climb back up 'till you called him."

"Only because he has wings," Max laughed.

"Ok, bad analogy. But still, you get the point."

"I do. Thanks, Dylan."


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 FPOV Heartbreak Warfare**

** "**Hi Fang, what's up?" Max greeted me.

I shrugged, saying nothing. As usual, I was casual. If I said anything, I risked screaming at her. '_What's_ _up? _You _tell _me _what's up! I thought we were getting back together, even if not officially. Why were you kissing Dylan in the gym that night? What happened to us? How long have you been leading me on while you were really with Dylan? Does he know about this? I bet he'd love that, get a good laugh at how much of a fool I've been.'_

"Angel and I are going to the gym. She's really taken a liking to Judo. Gazzy's been addicted to that skate park since you took him there. He's with his girlfriend. I can't thank you enough for how much you've helped them." Max smiled at me.

"No problem, it was fun. Where's Dylan?" Yah, where was that good-for-nothing, back-stabbing, girlfriend-stealing…

"He's at work, remember?" Oh, right.

"Nudge and Iggy are coming back tonight. Maybe you and Dylan should stay here tonight, and let the newlyweds have the apartment until they settle down a bit."

"Yah, that's a good idea."

Max paused and really looked at me. "Are you ok, Fang?"

"Yah, why?"

"I know you're a man of few words, but you've been especially reserved this past week. What's really going on, Fang?"

"Just tired," I shrugged. Max gave me a look. She didn't believe me. "I haven't slept well this week and have been really busy at work." It was true, but not the reason for my curtness. Max looked at me for a while, but eventually gave up trying to decipher my mask or the reason it was in place.

"Ok, fine. Just get some sleep and get better. Tonight's probably going to be another long night."

This was the first time Max had ever mentioned her nighttime adventures during the daylight hours. It didn't take a genius to figure out that she was telling me to get over whatever was bothering me. There must be something she really wanted to tell me.

**MPOV**

"Well, if it isn't Miss Maxine Ride! How are you doing my dear? I haven't seen you around here in a while. Come in, sit down."

I smiled at the friendly restaurant owner. "Good to see you, too, Anthony."

"Are you by yourself tonight? Where's Nick? Here, find something you'd like to eat." Anthony handed me a menu. Nanita's was one of my favorite restaurants, but it was a little ways away from home, so I didn't get the chance to come there often.

"Thank you. I'm expecting Nick to be here in a little while. I'll just have a soda until then."

Apparently, "just a soda" meant much more to Italians than it did to Americans. Anthony sent out my soda with a basket of bread, a prosciutto salad, and a cup of soup. He tended to do that often when it came to Fang and me.

While I waited (and ate), I thought about Fang. I thought about the first time he introduced me to Anthony, while he was trying to convince me to trust him enough to date him. I also thought about the completely unreasonable mood he's been in this week. I couldn't figure out what happened to make him revert into himself more than I've ever seen before. One week, it looks like we're about to start going out again, the next he's giving me the cold shoulder.

I debated what I would talk to him about tonight. Originally, I was going to stick to the plan and talk about our relationship before he left. This is where I learned about his use of the name "Nick". Then, I wanted to talk about us getting together. Everything had been going so well last week, and Dylan was right. But then Fang started withdrawing, and I was left reeling from whiplash. What the heck was going on?

I was staring off in space, brooding, when I heard Anthony greet Nick at the front of the restaurant. I didn't change my posture or expression even when Fang stood behind me. With a sigh, he sat down across from me and waited.

A waitress came to take our orders. Without looking at each other, we told her what we wanted. We were silent until our food came out. The silence was so heavy, neither one of us knew how to break it. Or maybe we were afraid to. I know I was.

Finally, though, I knew I had to say something. Deciding to stay with the safest topic, I stuck to the original plan. I told Fang about how happy I was during that time, and how easy it was to trust him. I also talked about him using the name "Nick", and how calling him that became the way I tried to find some defense against the pain of his apparent betrayal. How wrong I was when I accused him of lying to me and using "Fang" as a cover identity.

Under normal circumstances, that conversation probably would have brought us closer together, been a bonding time or whatever. As it was, Fang didn't say anything, and I just rambled on, avoiding his eyes as much as possible. Eventually, I just stopped; me talking was no different from the heavy silence.

We sat there, silent again, until we finished eating. When the bill came, I insisted on paying it. That was the most we'd conversed all night.

Flying home, we kept our distance. I was caught by surprise when Fang suddenly turned and flew down to the ground.

He must have known I was behind him after he landed, but he didn't look to see if I followed him. He just walked. I shadowed him as quietly as I could, trying not to disrupt his thoughts. Through the dark, I could see rows of shadowy trees and fancy gardens. This wasn't an ordinary park.

Fang stopped at the top of a rocky wall where the stream dropped down to the lake below. I finally recognized the place. We were in the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

Fang sat down, feet hanging over the edge. I copied him, staying a few feet away. When he began to speak, I was silent, attentive. It was his turn to talk.

"This was where I was thinking about proposing to you, you know. Before Cat came and ruined everything. I loved you so much. I still do.

"I understand why you pushed me away after I left, and even once you forgave me. I really do. And even though I don't understand why you still keep me out, I can deal with that. It's your choice. You know I'll never leave, no matter what you do. I've already given myself to you; it's up to you to decide how you respond to that."

Fang looked at me, and the intensity behind his eyes froze me in my place. "The only thing I ask, Max, is that you don't play with me. It's not a game to me, and I've never liked being the mouse. If you want to be with me, I'm yours. But I'm not here for your entertainment. I won't be played."

His words shook me. "Fang? What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," he cut me off, standing up. With a leap, he was airborne again. I didn't follow him this time. I stayed where I was.

Even when the sky turned from back-and city-lights to grey predawn, I sat there. It wasn't until the thought of Gazzy and Angel waking up with only Dylan there crossed my mind that I stood up. With only an hour or so before their alarms would wake them up, I flew home. Fang wasn't there, but I knew he hadn't really left. I just hoped he was ok, wherever he was.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 FPOV Nightfall**

It was kind of strange, being behind the mask again. I hadn't been the Black Shadow in months, and New York City hadn't seen the shifty troublemaker in over a year and a half. Suddenly, he seemed to be everywhere. All the night wanderers claimed to have seen him.

I was up to my old tricks again, giving suggestions and spooking the people who lingered in the night. Though NYC doesn't really have much major gang activity, there were still plenty of people working individually or in small groups of friends who were looking for trouble. I didn't gain as much amusement from it as I used to, but it was a good distraction. Between that and my carefully arranged work schedule, I didn't cross paths with Max or Dylan too often. That was perfectly fine with me.

I was following two guys who seemed to be looking for something, but didn't know what to look for. When I got within hearing range, their conversation amused me.

"Where would you go, if you had free reign of the city's streets? Where do you think he goes to get his info? And how does he decide who to share that information with?"

"I don't know, Rick. Why would I know? I don't think anyone can honestly say they understand the way the Black Shadow works."

"Ok, then, how would I call him? How would I get him to come to me?"

The second man looked at Rick as if he was crazy. "You don't. No one commands the King of Darkness. He comes to you if and when he chooses." King of Darkness, Prince of the Night, Mastermind of Chaos, Lord of the Lowly, I've heard it all. It was rather amusing sometimes, how highly they regarded me.

"How do you know, Mark; has anyone ever tried before?"

"I don't know. But I don't think even he knows what he's going to do. I think he just keeps his eyes and ears open, and then shares what he knows with whoever he crosses paths with. There's no way he could really plan all that."

"You're partially right. More right than anyone else so far." I stepped into view and the two men whirled around, startled.

Rick was the first to recover. "Well, if it isn't the King himself. I've been looking for you, your Darkness," he gave a mocking, flourishing bow.

"So I hear."

"I have a proposition for you, if you would assent to listen to such a lowly meddler as me."

"Out with it," I growled. I didn't care to stand for this pompous idiot.

"You know things. We can do things. With your knowledge, and your ability to sneak around unseen, and our talents for, shall we say, acquiring things of value, the three of us could gain quite a fortune."

"I'm not interested in money."

"Hear me out. Everyone likes money. And even if you already have money, think about the power you could gain from this. The reputation you would build. You could go from manipulating the streets to pulling the strings behind the entire city. It's happened before, and I think you could do it. All it takes is that first step. Form an alliance."

"Or really? And what would that entail?" I was humoring him. I had no intention of joining him.

"Not much on your part. You just keep doing what you're doing. Instead of giving intel to others, you would report to me when you hear something good, or when we're looking for a good haul. Help us out every once in a while." Rick really seemed confident in his plan. His friend, however, just rolled his eyes.

"I don't report to anyone. I work alone. And I never get involved beyond what I know and say."

"Told you," Mark mumbled to Rick. Rick, however, would not be deterred.

"Yah, I get it. Lone Wolf and all that. But you have to think about the bigger picture. You work for- _with_- us for a while, and eventually you'll build a huge power base. We'll, of course, be riding on your coat-tails."

I cringed at his analogy. The last thing I wanted to be compared to was a wolf. Too many bad associations. "You mistake me. I don't care for power. I don't care for money. I work alone, and I never, under any circumstances, work for anyone. Not out here." I turned to leave, done with this moron.

"Hey! No one refuses my offers." Apparently, he was stupider than I thought.

"I believe I just did." Rick didn't get the message, and put his hand on my shoulder to try to restrain me. That was the worst thing he could have done.

With one swift move, Rick found himself winded, pinned to the hard ground, my forearm pressed against his windpipe.

"Don't," I warned, "try that again." I nodded once to Mark, who was standing there shaking his head at Rick's stupidity.

Walking into the shadows, I made sure I was out of sight before I took off.

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"Fang, we have to talk." Dylan put down the newspaper without looking at me as I walked into the apartment.

"About what?" As far as I was concerned, there was nothing I wanted to talk about with him.

"About this," he held up the paper so that I could read the headlines. Printed in bold black letters were the words, "Return of the Black Shadow?"

"Wow; that is serious. Could they really not think of a more original headline?"

"Fang, is this about Max?"

"Why would it be about Max? She doesn't even know about me being the Black Shadow."

"Exactly. Why are you running away from her? I thought everything was starting to get better?"

"They were. And then they weren't. And if you don't know why, then you've got no business asking." It was harsh, but if he didn't know, then he probably wasn't involved. If he wasn't involved, then he should just stay out of it and live happily ever after with my girl. Who apparently wasn't mine at all.

Dylan gave me a loaded look. "Fine, I won't ask. But you should know that she's hurt by your sudden and inexplicable rejection, even if she won't admit it."

I snorted, but refrained from commenting.

"She's going to be waiting for you tonight. It's Tuesday. I think this might be one of the last nights she does this, based on what I know of your history. You should go, even if it wasn't so great last time. You never quit before when it got tough, so why now?"

I didn't answer for a long time, hoping he meant that rhetorically. Dylan kept staring at me though, obviously waiting for a response. "Because this time is different. This time she's crossed the line." I left before he could demand further explanation, locking myself in my room.

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That night, to my dismay, everyone was spending the night at the Nest. I was expected to be there, too, of course. No matter how things were between Max and me, I was still part of the flock and would not be excused from flock gatherings.

Max got up and left around 10:45, about an hour after Angel and Gazzy went to sleep (school night), and half an hour after Iggy and Nudge went to their room (I don't think they'll be aware of anything outside of that room for a while).

Dylan looked pointedly at the Max's door, then at me. I shook my head no. He jerked his head toward the window, telling me to go. Again, I shook my head.

Dylan gave me a stern look. I flipped him off and rolled over, closing my eyes.

Unfortunately, that left me unprepared for when Dylan flipped my off the couch. Standing over me, he pointed to the window, as if he was a parent and I was a misbehaved child being sent to my room. I rolled my eyes.

He spread his arms, palms up, as if asking, '_What the heck?'_ He gestured to the window again, '_Go to her.'_

I ignored the pest and picked up my blanket, determined to get some sleep tonight. Dylan yanked the blanket away. "Go. She needs you," he hissed at me.

"Max? Yah, right," I hissed back. He shook his head, and then jerked his head at the window again. I waved him off, tired of the argument already, and turned away. Dylan grabbed my shoulder and spun me back to face him.

We continued this silent argument for a good half an hour. I know now how mimes can deal with being mute. A lot can be said with gestures and expressions.

"Fine! I give up! You win. I'll go find Max."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 MPOV Midnight**

I sat on the train, just like I had done so long ago. It was almost like fate wanted a dramatic setting for this last night; the empty train car was almost exactly the way it had been after Ari had broken up with me and Fang found me crying here.

Right down to the emotional hurricane that was raging inside of me, leaving me curled up on the seat, holding back tears. I wouldn't be rendered helpless when I needed to fix things with Fang. I didn't know what needed to be fixed, or how it would be done, but I had to do something.

As the night wore on, however, long past the time I expected Fang to be here, my resolve weakened. I felt my breathing hitch and my eyes water. I blinked rapidly and looked up, trying to keep the tears from spilling over. It didn't work.

It was with a sense of déjà vu that I heard him walk down the long car, slowly, hesitantly. He sat down opposite me, obviously noticing that I was crying.

"Hey, are you ok?"

"I'm fine," my voice was about twenty octaves too high. The sense of déjà vu was not soothing; rather, it made the tears finally spill. Once they began, they couldn't be stopped or slowed.

Because that sense of déjà vu wasn't exactly right. The guy across from me was the wrong guy.

Dylan came and sat next to me, then wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. I accepted his comfort. I needed it tonight, after Fang's obvious rejection.

Dylan didn't say anything. Maybe he knew I didn't want him to say anything to me; maybe he just didn't have anything to say that would help. Either way, I was thankful for the silence. I didn't want to hear the details I was sure he knew.

I was a mess by the time I was able to regain control.

"I'm sorry. I was just so sure he would be here. I was so sure tonight would be the night I could fix whatever it was that pushed him away."

"Shhh, it's ok. I know. And I'm sure if he knew this, he would be here. I don't know what his problem is, but it's not your fault and it's not just up to you to fix it. He has to meet you half way, at least, if he wants anything from you."

I shook my head. How on earth was I going to get Fang, one of the most stubborn people I know, to meet me half way?

As if reading my thoughts, Dylan said, "You're just as stubborn as he is. He'll give in to you eventually. You just have to let him know what you want."

What did I want? I had to think about that. Was I really so upset over Fang's rejection? Or was it something else? Was it that his rejection had come when I was at the brink of change? The brink of coming to terms with everything that has already happened, of finding closure. Or was it that now was the time I needed him more than ever, and was willing to admit it, if only he would let me? I didn't know. I still don't know. All I know is that at that moment, all I wanted to do was curl up in a hole and hide until the uncertainty and pain were gone.

That night, walking back home with Dylan, I refused to look at Fang. I looked away as I turned into my room and locked the door. It wasn't long before I fell asleep, dreams spinning through my head and planting ideas.

The next morning, I woke up realizing that for the first time, the riddles in my nightmares made sense. For the first time, I was neither afraid of the awful images nor confused by the cryptic Voice.

The night after that, I was finally able to do what I'd been trying to do for months.

I left.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 FPOV Run**

"What do you mean, she's gone? Where is she?" Dylan and I were standing in Max's room, which was conspicuously missing her backpack, her boots, and, most noticeably, Max herself.

"I don't know; you're the one who knows her best! You tell me."

"I haven't spoken to her in over a week. Besides, you were there with her on the train. That's where we met; there's nowhere else I can think of where she would go. Besides, it isn't even Tuesday night. It's Thursday morning. What did she say to you on the train?"

"Not much. Nothing about leaving. I thought she was going to fix things with you. She was brokenhearted when you didn't show up, by the way." Dylan accused.

"Yah, right. Why would she miss me when she had you?"

"Because she doesn't love me, not the way she loves you."

"Oh, of course. Because I'm the plaything, and you're the real boyfriend," my sarcasm was vitriolic.

"What? Where on earth did you get that idea?" Dylan reeled back, shocked.

"I saw you two kissing. Right after she kissed me."

Realization flooded his eyes. Bastard. "Fang," he said slowly, as if explaining something so important, he only had one chance to convince me, "_I _kissed _Max. _She never kissed me. And right after that, we agreed that we weren't the dating type. Then I told her to do what she had to do to get over Cat and get back with you because it was obvious that she loves you."

Normally, I would be skeptical. I would say he was lying. But I was good at picking up lies, and Dylan wasn't the best at lying. Not to me, at least. Sincerity rang through every word. Still, I hesitated.

"Then why…" I searched for something that refuted his claim. I thought about her behavior the past two weeks, the conversations last Tuesday, and the way Dylan almost pushed me out the window to find her.

"Then why didn't either of you tell me."

"You never gave her a chance. You just pulled away, building a wall of ice between you two without even letting her know why. She was hurt by that. She was going to try to fix everything on Tuesday, but you never showed up. I didn't tell you because I didn't know, either. Believe me, I would have told you long ago if I thought that was the problem."

I felt like such a fool. I felt guilty for all the pain I'd caused her. I had to fix this. I had to bring Max home.

"Alright, now what? Where do I find her?" I turned to Dylan, hardening my resolve.

"Think about it; was there anywhere you two may have met before? Even just a passing glance?"

I walked over to her wall, looking at the framed photos there. "Nothing comes to mind."

Dylan was looking at the book shelf, then picked up a book and began flipping through it.

"That night on the train was the first time we I'd ever seen Max. If she's going reverse chronologically, then I have no idea where she might be. Has she said anything about leaving the city? I don't know why she would, though, now that there's no threat to her or the flock."

Dylan looked up from the book. "Maybe it was the first time you saw her, but I don't think it was the first time _she _saw _you_. Those nightmares she's had. They were about the School. Weren't you and Iggy from the same place she, Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy were from?"

I looked at him, shocked. "We were. But I don't think we ever saw each other in the School. It wasn't until after we escaped that we saw each other."

Dylan looked at me, "The escape story!"

"When she saw Iggy and me escaping," I finished.

"Do you really think she'd go back there? It had to be filled with tons of awful memories."

"It is," I said grimly, "but it would also give her closure, which is what this whole thing has been about."

"Then you'll have to go get her. She's going to need you more than ever."

"How far do you think she's gotten?"

"It's Thursday night. The earliest she could have left was Wednesday night. How far could she have gotten in 24 hours?"

"Far. Especially if she was in a hurry."

"Then you'd better get going. Now."

"What about gear? I'm going to need at least a backpack and food to get there. My stuff's at the apartment. It'll take too long to get there."

"What happened to the Fang that could eat desert rat roasted on a stick over an open fire he built himself? Or at least the Fang that was clever enough to realize that this place is stocked full with camping supplies?"

I whipped my head around, "Iggy! What are you doing here?" My brother was leaning in the doorway, staring in our direction.

"Please. You're not as secretive as you think you are. We all know that you three have been going out at night, to who knows where each night."

"You all know?" Dylan looked surprised.

"Yep. Well, except for Gazzy. He sleeps like a rock."

"Ok, whatever. We'll discuss this later. What did you say about camping gear?"

"Take this," Iggy slid a backpack off his shoulder and tossed it at me, his aim impeccable. I caught it and looked in. It had a small tent, a lighter, and a ton of non-perishable food. Normally, camping stuff came with maps and a compass, but we Avians knew direction instinctually.

"You knew I would need it," I accused.

"Nope. I knew one of you would need it. I just didn't know which one."

"How?" Dylan asked.

"Easy. Max left with a week's worth of stuff for living on the run, you two didn't figure it out for a whole day, then you freak out about where she could have possibly gone. You obviously need help. She left a note on the fridge," he carefully annunciated, "saying 'I'm going to be gone for a while. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll be back from California as soon as I can.' It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where she's going."

Dylan and I looked at each other. From the look on his face, he felt like an idiot, too.

"Whatever, just get out there and find her, Fang. She's going to need you."

"Yah, thanks, both of you. I've got to go." I opened the window and spread my wings.

"Oh, Fang, just one more thing," Iggy warned me, "If she gets hurt, don't bother coming back again. I don't think any of us will be as forgiving the second time around."

I nodded, taking his warning seriously. "Don't worry; I'll bring her back safely."

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It took almost twelve hours, but eventually I found Max. I flew above her camp, taking stock of the situation. Once I was assured that she was safe, I landed in a nearby tree. Max looked up from the fire, clearly seeing me. Instead of saying anything, she just nodded and looked back at her dinner.

I realized then that she had flown slowly enough to let me catch up, but that she still didn't want me with her on this trip. She would have been long gone if she was really in a hurry, but she would have invited me down if she wanted me to be with her.

Knowing that, I set up my own camp out of sight range, but within hearing range. I fell into an uneasy sleep, knowing that in the next weeks we would be sleeping very little, but also wanting to keep an ear out for Max.

At sunrise the next morning, Max and I packed up our respective camps and headed southwest. As predicted, that was the most sleep we got in days. The journey began.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 MPOV Hide**

I was flying as hard as I could to the opposite side of the country, stopping only as often and as long as necessary. I ate on the fly and slept as little as possible. I was exhausted, but kept pushing on. I had to get there.

To my surprise, I wasn't alone. Not really. Fang somehow managed to keep up with my break-neck pace. I was glad he was here, but I also didn't feel like talking to him.

Fang seemed to realize that. When I wanted to be completely alone, he dropped back so far behind me, that I was surprised he was able to keep up at all. When I felt lonely and wanted him within reach, he was there beside me, wingtips brushing against mine. He never said anything, never demanded an explanation. He just somehow understood what I wanted and what I needed.

It was like a game of hide-and-seek. I hid, and he sought me out when I wanted him to. Or maybe it was the opposite. He hid until I sought him out.

I was setting up camp one night, way past dark, and felt close to a break down.

"Damnit!" I cursed, close to tears, when the tent collapsed for the fourth time that night. I was exhausted, and just wanted to go to sleep.

Suddenly, Fang was there, wrapping his arms around me. "Shhh, it's ok. Come here." He led me a little ways away, to his camp. "Just sleep. I'll take care of you."

"Thanks," I whispered, crawling into his tent. Fang shone a flashlight through the dark, allowing me to see where the sleeping bag was. I crawled in gratefully.

"I'll keep watch. Just sleep now."

"What about you? You need sleep." I eyed the dark shadows under his eyes, not sure what was from exhaustion and what was from the strange shadows from the flashlight. "Come here."

Fang lay down next to me, keeping a careful distance. I tossed him the pillow so that he wouldn't have to put his head on the hard ground. "Max, you need it more," he tried to hand it back to me.

"No, I don't." I moved so that my head rested on his chest, curling into his warmth. He wrapped his arms around me and I breathed in the comforting scent of him.

"Mmmm. My favorite pillow," I teased.

"Mmmm. My favorite blanket," Fang teased back. If he said anything after that, I don't remember. I was asleep within seconds.

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After that, I expected Fang to want to stick closer to me. To my surprise, and relief, he still knew when I wanted to be alone and still let me be.

When we ran low on food on the fourth day, I knew we had to stop for more. I dreaded going into a grocery store, so normal and out of place on this abnormal flight, but I didn't really feel like hunting each night either. I was already too tired. Besides, the idea that the only thing I might be able to catch was a bird didn't really appeal to me.

"I'll go in. I don't mind. Besides, it's easier for me than for you to hide the fact that we've been on the run for a while."

"What do you mean?" I looked at him through the dusk light.

"Well, jeans and a black t-shirt hide more dirt and wrinkles than your lighter sweatpants and hoodie. My hair's easier to smooth down and I don't have as much dirt streaked across my face."

I looked down at my clothes and ran my fingers through my snarled hair. He wasn't lying; I could always count on him to be bluntly honest. I sighed. "Thanks, Fang. Do you have money?"

"Yep. Don't worry about it. Any special requests?"

I thought about it. "Popcorn. I'm craving popcorn."

"I'll get a fire-popped camping package and a bag of M&Ms." He knew me too well.

When he got back, we shared the popcorn, and then divvied up the rest of the food. I saw him a little after that until we reached the School.

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My nerves were frayed by the time we reached Death Valley on the fifth day. I was on edge the whole day. Even though I had only flown this way once, ten years ago, and in reverse, it seemed ingrained into my memory.

I wondered what I would find there. Mad scientists eager to shove me into a dog crate again? A pack of erasers ready to sniff me out and hunt me down? Or would it be empty, abandoned in the ten years since our escape? I didn't know what to expect.

After ten years, I finally reached it. The very place I once hid from but now sought.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 MPOV Seek**

I perched in a tree above the School yard, the very yard we had escaped from when Iggy and Fang had sorted out the electric netting that once covered the area. It looked like it had been abandoned not too long after that.

Fang landed beside me. I looked at him, and he nodded. When I flew down to the yard, he followed right behind me. After a quick glance around the yard, which had deteriorated into mostly desert sand, we crossed over to the doors the lead inside.

The sterile walls still held a faint trace of the chemically smell. The lights were off, but our vision was strong enough to see in all but the darkest of rooms. The area had an aura of neglect. No one was there.

We continued all the way until we found the two rooms, across the hall from each other, that had once held the dog crates we lived in. The crates were empty now, dust coating the tops of them.

Further down the halls, we found the labs. I walked into the doorway of one while Fang looked at another.

The only evidence that the scientists were really gone, as opposed to, say, taking a lunch break, was the thin layer of sandy dust that would never have been there if the lab was still in use. I bet the only reason the dust was so thin, even after ten years, was because the lab had been so pristine before they left.

"What's the report?" I called over my shoulder to Fang. His description of the other lab was much the same as mine.

"What do you think happened here?"

"Everything's in place. They left suddenly, before anything could be taken with them. Nothing looks broken, or as if they were in the middle of a project when they left. They weren't taken by surprise or attacked. My guess is that they closed for a while, maybe were forced to, and then were shut down permanently. A year and a half after we bolted, if these dated records are any indication."

He held up a few papers that looked very official and science-y. I didn't want to read it. Instead, I continued on down the hall, looking into windows. When I got to the end, I walked in. Fang stood in the doorway, but didn't follow me further.

When I looked around, memories long forgotten (by choice rather than because they were forgettable) resurfaced in flashes. The tables we were strapped down to, the IVs that alternately kept us alive and nearly killed up, the nameless and numerous instruments that tortured us, the machines that monitored us, all gave me horrible flashbacks.

Why was I in such a hurry to get here? What good could this possibly bring? What was I seeking here?

Mindlessly, I walked over to a shelf hanging on one wall. It was filled with vials and bottles, all neatly labeled with their contents, some familiar to me and others not.

I picked one up, looking at its contents. I remembered the neon green liquid inside. If poured on the skin, injected, or ingested, it causes severe burning and temporarily stains our skin, blood, or digestive fluids a neon blue. Don't ask me why a green liquid stains blue, I just know it does.

Rage and pain filled me. Without much thought, just emotion, I hurled the vial across the lab, where it crashed into the opposite wall with a satisfying splatter of acid. I reached for the next bottle.

One by one, the containers flew out of my hands until the wall was painted with graffiti of colorful and sometimes corrosive chemicals and the floor glittered with crushed glass. I felt better, but far from satisfied.

I turned next to the cabinet of expensive-looking instruments. One by one, these were systematically snapped, cracked, fractured, splintered, stepped on, and otherwise broken before being strewn around the lab. After that, I don't remember much. It blurred together in a fit of rage, pain (both physical and mental), and destruction until there was nothing left in that room to destroy.

I calmed down enough to look around me. The machines were dismantled, the tables overturned, and the shelves pulled off the wall. The cabinets were knocked down, the IV stands snapped, and the windows veined with a webbing of cracks. Not a single bottle, box, bag, or tool was left intact. And there, in the doorway, was Fang, just watching this all play out before him.

His eyes held no judgment, no reprimand, no horror, no pity, and no sorrow. Just understanding. I walked past him, still somewhat emotionally unstable.

I retraced our steps back out to the yard. I wanted to get out of here. This was not what I'd come for.

I had every intention of going up and away as soon as the sky was above me, but this time, the sight of the yard brought on an onslaught of memories, many just as bad as the ones from inside. The erasers, the games of cat-and-mouse, the tests, everything. The overwhelming emotions brought me to my knees.

I cried, really, really, full-out, sobbed. It was like those nights on the Empire State Building, with the screaming, the tears, the constriction of my airways, and being curled up on the ground. I don't know how long I'd been like that before I became aware of Fang.

He didn't say anything, didn't try to shush me or tell me everything was going to be ok. He just held me in his lap, arms wrapped protectively around me, stroking my hair. His wings curved around us, creating a shield between us and the living nightmare around us.

An indeterminable amount of time passed before I calmed down, and another long time before the tears dried. I felt cramped, hungry, dehydrated, and downright tired. I was emotionally and physically drained, almost numb.

"Let's just get out of here," Fang picked me up and set me on my feet. We spread our wings and took off. We flew to our last camp, which was still set up about an hour away with all our stuff. It was the first time Fang's tent had been set up right next to mine. I was grateful we had done that.

Fang went into his tent, then joined my in mine, carrying a first aid kit and two water bottles. I just wanted to sleep, but further inspection revealed that I should probably let Fang attend to me.

"Drink this while I fix you up, then we'll get some food." I uncapped the water bottle and gulped down half of it. Fang gave a half-smile and handed me a second bottle.

He cleaned and bandaged several small cuts and chemical burns that I hadn't noticed until now. A bit of my hair, too, had been splashed with acid and burned away. Fang was extra gentle with the cuts on my face.

I was lucky that only one cut was deep and long. I don't remember what scraped my leg, but it left an angry red gash up my left calf.

"That'll probably scar, but it's already stopped bleeding. It won't take long to heal," Fang reported.

After we ate a cold dinner (the sun was setting, so I figured it'd been a full day since we'd left this camp), Fang kissed my forehead before backing away.

"Right now, we just need to sleep. We'll stay here a day to rest and plan, then we'll high tail it home. I'll be right next to you if you need me." Fang left the tent and I slid into the sleeping bag. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 FPOV Together **

Max and I slept through the night, and most of the morning, too. It took a lot of convincing to get her to stay there another night, but we compromised. She agreed to stay at this camp and rest if we logged some serious frequent-flier miles on the way home. I was eager to get back, too, so it didn't take too much persuasion on her part.

We flew at a steady pace for about eighteen hours before stopping to sleep for about five or six hours. That had to be some kind of record. We always ate while flying and slept in trees, too tired to set up camp.

On the third round of this, I made Max stop. We were too tired to keep it up. She and I set up one tent and put two sleeping bags in there. No energy was wasted these days.

Max sat down, groaning as she pulled off her dirty t-shirt. For all you perverts out there, she was wearing a conservative sports bra. Don't get excited.

I could see that she was aching. I felt it myself. We had strained our muscles further than we had in a long time. Our poor wings were probably about ready to fall off.

I handed Max a bottle of ibuprofen. "Here. This should help." I picked up a tube of muscle pain relief cream and started massaging it into her shoulders and back.

Max groaned. "Ibuprofen and IcyHot? Is this your plan of seduction?"

I smirked, and then leaned in to kiss her shoulder. "Why, is it working?" My voice was lower, darker.

"Fang," Max leaned forward, away from me, "Not now." She sounded very tired right then.

"Sorry, I'll behave," I pulled back, too.

"I mean, we're already tired, and hungry, and haven't taken showers in days. I don't think my heart could take that kind of strain. Physically, I mean," she added hastily when I was about to protest, "Besides, our first time together again shouldn't be in a tent in the middle of who knows where. Just not now, ok?"

Suddenly, I understood. She wasn't saying "no", she was saying "just not at this moment."

"Ok, Max. I'll follow your lead, just like that first time. You make sure to let me know when."

"Trust me; you'll be the first to know." Max leaned against me, letting me wrap my arms around her. We fell asleep in separate sleeping bags, but still close enough that I could feel her soft breathing across my face. It was the best sleep in weeks.

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Max and I flew faster after that. We took more breaks, but they were shorter, too. Neither of us wanted to prolong this trip home.

On the final day, we were about an hour's flight away from home. Max wanted to keep flying, but she looked ready to fall out of sky at any moment. After some argument, we agreed that I would fly the rest of the way, holding her while she slept.

It was sheer willpower that kept me going the rest of the way to the Nest. It was predawn, so I wasn't too worried about being seen. Even if it was high noon and a paparazzi mob saw us, I think I would have been too drained to care.

I landed on the roof near the penthouse, then walked in the door, which I assume was only unlocked because of Max and I.

"Fang! Max! You're back!" We were greeted by a mix of excited calls. I don't remember who said what, until Iggy realized I was holding Max in my arms.

"What's wrong with Max? What happened to her?" he demanded.

"Relax. We're just beat. Hardly any sleep these past ten days . She's fine, just needs sleep, food, and a bath. Probably in that order."

Nudge wouldn't hear it though. She insisted on giving Max a bath right away. She shoved me into her shower while she took Max into the sleeping girl's bathroom. I'm sure Iggy would have insisted she ate something right then, too, if she had woken up for more than a few seconds at a time.

Clean and in soft pajamas, Nudge and the rest of the flock let us collapse onto Max's bed. If any of them questioned me falling asleep next to Max, none of them said anything. I wouldn't have cared if they had. I'd become accustomed to sleeping with the sound of Max's breathing and the feel of her warmth next to me.

We slept for several hours. It was 7:00 a.m. when I woke up. 7:00 the next morning. Max and I were sleeping for over a full day. I looked at the woman beside me. I didn't really want to get up, but I didn't know how she would take finding me in bed with her. Tents and sleeping bags and tree branches were one thing, her bed at home was another altogether.

Careful not to wake Max up, I slid out of bed and dressed in the clothes that someone had left for me on the desk. A quick inspection of the penthouse showed that we were the only two here. Where was everyone else? What day was it? Could the kids be at school?

Either way, I had to find Iggy and get caught up on how the flock was doing, and give my report on our cross-country tour. I also probably needed to explain my absence at work and see if I still had a job.

I scrawled Max a quick note, made sure there was plenty of food in the kitchen for her, and then gathered up my stuff and left.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 MPOV Home**

I woke up to find myself in my bed in the Nest. I don't remember how I got there, and only brief flashes of what happened after I got there. Fang's scent (the clean scent not the on-the-fly-for-days scent) lingering on the pillow told me that he had been here recently.

I found his note on the desk. Quickly reading it once, I had to stop and read it a second time to be sure I understood right. Then I shoved on my sneakers and raced out the door, not caring that I was still in pajamas.

I caught up with Fang about four blocks from the pent house.

"Fang! Wait up!" He turned around, surprised to see me. He waited.

When I reached him, I stopped, hesitated, unsure of what to do now. I looked at his backpack, slung over his shoulder, and his boots, which he's worn while we were running together.

"Where are you going?"

"Just to find Iggy. Then to Five Points. Maybe the apartment from there." Fang was concise, but not curt. His voice was quiet and gentle.

"Are you… are you coming back after that?"

"Do you want me back? You haven't gotten sick of me yet?" He joked lightly. I smiled.

"Sick of you? Never."

"Ok. Then I'll be back. Just let me know when."

I hugged him. Fang slid the heavy backpack to the sidewalk so that he could hug me back. "Hurry home, Fang. Come back as soon as you can. Hurry back to me."

Fang lifted my chin, reading my eyes so that they met his. I willed him to understand. As usual, he knew exactly what I wanted, what I needed.

My dark angel pulled me closer as he brought his lips down to mine. The kiss was slow and deep at first, then became passionate. I melted into him and he held me up. He always seemed to be the one to hold me up when I couldn't stand on my own. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he moved his hand to the back of my head.

We kissed there in the middle of the sidewalk, not caring about the people walking around us or that we were getting weird looks from them. Fang tilted his head to deepen the kiss further. My heart pounded in my chest. I knew he could feel it because I could feel his. This was heaven.

When we finally broke apart, Fang whispered into my ear, "Always. I love you. I'll always hurry back to you."

And he did.

**Thanks for reading, favoriting, and/or commenting! **

**This was supposed to be the end of the story, but I got thinking about an epilogue. I'll leave it up to you readers: should I leave it as is or should I add an epilogue where Fang proposes? I'll wait until I have 10 people's opinions. Majority rules.**


	30. Chapter 30

**Epilogue- MPOV**

Fang and I walked through the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, holding hands and looking at the trees and flowers that were lit up by the fire-colored sunset. Summer clung to the branches and the grasped at the air as the approaching autumn invaded.

When we got to one of the bridges, we looked out across the water.

Fang turned to look at me. "Max, I know we've had some on-and-off times in our relationship, and because of that, I know you'll always be afraid of me leaving again. I've sworn never to hurt you, but I have hurt you time and time again."

My heart rate picked up. '_What is he saying? Surely he's not breaking up with me?'_

Fang continued, "But we have pulled through, and that is why I have no doubts that we are going to last. Do you remember, after our first date, Angel told you we were soul mates? Neither of us believed in that kind of thing, and yet here we are now, over two years later. Do you know, two whole years ago, Nudge and Iggy were pressuring me to propose to you? And I was giving in to them. We could have been married before they were, if I hadn't left. One year ago, I returned to New York to find you again. I've known for a long time that you are the only one I want to spend the rest of my life with."

"What about the flock? Not even Iggy?" I nervously joked. He was walking out of the safe zone here. Fang ignored my comment.

"Maximum Ride, with the knowledge that I cannot promise you anything, but would promise you the world and the sky if you would let me, will you do me the honor of marrying me?"

Fang pulled out a white box, opened it, and revealed a ring sitting on a tiny velvet pillow. Two gold wings made up the band, with six gems in the center. A pale yellow-gold, a deep pink, a black, a dark red, a green, and a sky blue. Iggy, Nudge, Fang, me, Gazzy, and Angel.

"Fang, I-"

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I woke up with a start.

"Hey, sleepy head," Fang laughed quietly, tightening his hold around me. We were high up in a tree in Central Park. I must have fallen asleep.

"You should have woken me up," I chided.

"You looked like you were having a good dream. What was it?"

I sighed contently. "The Botanical Gardens, a sunset, a romantic walk, a heart-bearing speech, and an engagement ring worth three years of rent for the Nest and your apartment combined."

"I suppose I was the one doing the heart-bearing?"

"Yah, you proposed to me after a long, sweet, romantic spiel. The ring was gorgeous."

"Did you accept it?"

I shook my head. "I woke up before I could reply."

"Would you have accepted, do you think?"

That was an easy one to answer. "No way! Are you kidding me? That was way too Nudge-esque or me. I would have been out of my mind to say yes to something like that. Besides, the ring was totally not my style. I'd never wear it."

Fang was silent for a while, not unusual for him.

"What if I proposed like this: Max, I love you. Marry me?" To my surprise, he pulled a ring out of his pocket. No box, no velvet, just a ring. He led it up for my inspection.

It was a simple band of braided silver. No gold, no gems, nothing fancy. Simple. Just the way I liked it.

"On one condition: _you _tell Nudge."

Fang grinned uncharacteristically and slipped the ring on my left hand. "Anything for you, Max." He kissed me.

"I love you, too, Fang."

**For those few who were kind enough to review, here's the epilogue. I didn't want to be too cliché, and hope I wasn't. **

**The inspiration for the dream-ring was found here: .?v=1234771663000 **

**And the real ring was this one: .**


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